by Bernie English
bernie@limerickpost.ie
A HEALTH watchdog report has slated conditions at the Emergency De
partment of the University Hospital in LImerick, stating that they are “unacceptable” and pose a risk to patient safety.
In the just-published Patient Safety and Governance Review of the hospital, HIQA found, “a number of patient safety risks in the hospital group which must be addressed as a priority”.
“The single most significant risk identified by the HIQA review was the serious delays and risks for patients and staff due to persistent overcrowding in the Emergency Department of University Hospital Limerick in Dooradoyle, the only site within the hospital group that was providing emergency department and critical care services.
Welcoming the report, hospital management said in a statement: “UL Limerick has an extensive capital project underway with a budget of €20 million to build a new Emergency Department. The construction of the new ED is underway and will be completed in 2016 and will provide the most modern ED services in Ireland when it opens”.
