Limerick hospital overcrowding sees more than 700 operations cancelled

MORE than 700 patients about to have surgery in the UL Hospitals Group hospitals had their procedures cancelled following a surge of demand on beds at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

Since mid January, there have been 747 day case procedures and surgeries cancelled in the group, which includes Ennis and Nenagh hospitals.

Inpatient surgery at St John’s Hospital in Limerick was also cancelled last week.

The cancellation numbers were revealed as the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) published figures showing that UHL had the biggest number of patients on trolleys in the country in February.

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INMO’s Trolley Watch figures showed that there were more than 1,500 people waiting on trolleys for a bed, having been deemed sick enough to require hospital admission in the month of February.

On Friday last, UL Hospital Group chief executive Collette Cowan said in an update shared with TDs and councillors that UHL is “acutely conscious of patients who have already been waiting a long time for their procedure.

“We are also aware of the frustrations of highly trained theatre staff who are redeployed to other roles while surgery is curtailed.”

“This tension between scheduled and unscheduled care, exacerbated by the shortage of bed capacity in the region, only further highlights the importance of developing a surgical hub for the region as soon as possible.”

Professor Cowan also highlighted growing numbers at injury units saying that 38,523 patients attended these in Ennis, Nenagh, and St John’s last year, a 30 per cent rise on 2021.

Attendance at medical assessment units, which accept patients referred by GPs, ShannonDoc, and ambulance paramedics, rose by 19 per cent.