A NEW HSE tracking system showing additional funding and staffing balanced with complexity of care shows University Hospital Limerick as the top performer in Ireland.
The new public dashboard allows anyone interested in health to compare hospital statistics across the country.
GPs, for example, could use the data to see where waiting lists are short before referring patients, Department of Health officials said, launching the platform last week.
HSE Mid West and South West have seen the largest increase in funding since 2019, with the Mid West reporting a 40 per cent staffing increase compared to a national average of 29 per cent.
In a statement, the HSE Mid West welcomed the publication of national healthcare performance data by Health MinisterJennifer Carroll MacNeill, which is said “demonstrates the impressive work being delivered across outpatient and inpatient services at University Hospital Limerick and throughout the Mid West region”.
“The productivity data figures released reflect the commitment and professionalism of our healthcare teams, whose dedication has led to meaningful improvements in patient care and service delivery.”
Sandra Broderick, HSE Mid West regional executive officer, said the platform “is important to support staff across HSE Mid West”.
“The impressive work highlighted in today’s publication includes more patients seen every single year in our outpatient clinics. A reduction in the number of people on waiting lists (shows we are) one of the only hospitals to maintain a consistent hospital length of stay despite the enormous growth in demand from a growing and ageing population, all demonstrating high levels of consistent efficiency across the entire hospital system.
“These results are a credit to the remarkable people working in our hospitals and community services,” Ms Broderick said.
While proud of this progress, she said that HSE Mid West “remains aware of ongoing challenges within the healthcare system. In particular, addressing emergency department overcrowding and reducing the number of patients experiencing care on trolleys remains a key priority”.
“The organisation is confident that the additional bed capacity will open as planned in September 2025, which provides for 96 new beds for the region. Although not a panacea in terms of the overall capacity required to meet the demand for service in the busiest hospital in the state, we are finally on our journey to parity with other hospitals in Ireland.”
