Varadkar: no plans to upgrade Nenagh hospital to Model 3

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It is ‘impossible’ to upgrade Nenagh to a Model Three Hospital.

That was the message from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar during his visit to University Hospital Limerick today where he defended the actions taken by the Government to tackle to issues with healthcare in the Mid-West.

While he did acknowledge the capacity issue sat UHL , he was quick to emphasis the plans for the new 96 bed unit at the site and his hope that Nenagh and Ennis could both become Urgent Care Centres.

However, when asked if he would support the reinstatement of full Emergency Department services at either he stated that was not possible.

“Yeah, that’s definitely not the plan, when I talk to the doctors and the emergency doctors, they’re the ones who we take our advice when it comes to these matters and what they say to me is we have too many emergency departments in Ireland, not too few.

“Plans to essentially upgrade Nenagh and Ennis, not to full service emergency departments, medicine has moved on in that regard, but I do think more can be done there.”