The health watchdog has slammed as 'unacceptable' the delays facing patients in the emergency department of University Hospital Limerick in Dooradoyle.
HIQA's published a report into the 6 facilities of the University of Limerick group including Nenagh Hospital.
The report from the Health Information and Quality Authority was highly critical of the emergency department at UHL saying it was overcrowded and not fit for purpose.
One of its main concerns was the delay in admitting children to wards, despite a newly set up children's area that hadn't been opened.
Nenagh Hospital was found to not be performing as well as other sites in the group regarding average length of patient stay and delayed discharge numbers.
The report says this suggests that there is potential to improve its bed management processes. Senior managers and other staff identified the potential – particularly in Nenagh Hospital and Ennis Hospital – to increase surgical capacity.
The national key performance indicator for Clostridium difficile infection was met in University Hospital Limerick, Croom Hospital and Ennis Hospital, but not in Nenagh Hospital, in September and October of last year.
Meanwhile Staff expressed concerns that local communities were not using the local minor injuries units in Nenagh and Ennis, with patients either self-referring or being referred by their GPs to the Emergency Department at ULH instead.
The HSE has issued a response to the HIQA report.
The UL hospitals say they welcome the review and have already publicly acknowledged that the emergency department is in need of a major redevelopment.
The construction of a new ED is underway and will be completed by 2016.
In the interim period the Executive Management Team in UL Hospitals has undertaken a number of measures to alleviate the pressure on the current ED and to address the overcrowding.
Ann Doherty, CEO UL Hospitals, highlighted that HIQA had acknowledged the commitment the staff have to providing good safe care and to improving the services.
