30/09/2014

Call For Emergency Plan At UHL

The Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (INMO) is calling for the implementation of the Major Emergency Plan at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) to bring about a level of control and safety at the Emergency Department.

At 8am on Monday morning, 47 patients, who were admitted in the last 24 to 48 hours for care were left on trolleys in the Emergency Department because there were no beds available.

The INMO said this is catastrophic and the Major Emergency Plan should have been utilised by management at the hospital to protect the patients, the staff and to assist to make the hospital safe.

The INMO has assessed that at least an additional 70 acute beds are required at the hospital to cope with the fallout from a mismanaged reconfiguration process in the Mid-West.

Mary Fogarty, INMO Industrial Relations Officer, said: "There is no doubt that this level of overcrowding is causing poor outcomes for patients and a totally unacceptable work environment for staff.

"An urgent and implementable action plan is required, with robust management of same, if this hospital is to survive the winter without inflicting more harm on patients."

(CD/JP)

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