Independent Clare TD, Mr Michael McNamara, has received confirmation that HIQA is to undertake inspections of the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) and work with hospital management to develop a strategic plan to address capacity issues at the Mid-West facility.
University Hospital Limerick (UHL)
In response to Deputy McNamara’s call for an independent inquiry into ongoing overcrowding at the hospital, Health Minister Mr Stephen Donnelly says HIQA has received an evaluation of the current factors influencing crowding in the emergency department from the Hospital Group CEO.
Deputy McNamara said he hopes the strategic approach to tackling the trolley crisis will have a wider scope than the approach taken up to now.
“UHL is the most consistently overcrowded hospital in the country with over 76,000 attendances in 2021, up 16% compared to 2020 and up 7% on 2019,” stated Deputy McNamara. “Hospital management and staff appear to be firefighting on the issue of overcrowding as opposed to identifying and rectifying the issues that are causing the problem.”
“The Minister informed me that a key part of the solution for Limerick is additional beds,” stated Deputy McNamara. “However, the problem of overcrowding in Limerick has worsened rather than improved since the delivery of the 60-bed modular ward block, the provision of an additional 38 inpatient beds and the anticipated delivery of a 96-bed replacement ward block, for which a works contract will be awarded in early Quarter 2 of this year subject to HSE Board approval and funding availability. A full review of operations within the UL Hospitals Group is required if we are to ultimately find lasting solutions to the overcrowding issues.”
Deputy McNamara said HIQA has a limited remit and would not be able to put forward such recommendations as the upgrading of Ennis, Nenagh or St. Johns to Model 3 Hospitals. He continued, “There also needs to be an assessment of admission and discharge policies at UHL, as well as the impact of population growth on the demand for services within the UL Hospitals Group. I would hope that some additional outside expertise and input can form part of the delivery of any future strategic plan for tackling the long-standing overcrowding problem.”
Responding to Deputy McNamara, Minister Donnelly said surge capacity had been opened to manage the “extremely high levels of activity” being experienced at UHL. He added that the UL Hospital Group have reported that they are continuing to deal with high volumes of patients attending the University Hospital Limerick ED, a pattern that has been sustained over a number of months and is being replicated around the country.
“University Hospital Limerick is working to ensure that care is prioritised for the sickest patients,” Minister Donnelly stated. “As part of their escalation plan, additional ward rounds, accelerated discharges, and identification of patients for transfer to UL Model 2 hospitals are all underway. Surge capacity has been opened to manage the extremely high levels of activity.”
The Minister added, “HIQA has also been in recent correspondence with the Hospital Group CEO to seek further information and assurances from them relating to their evaluation of the current factors influencing crowding in the emergency department. The resultant evaluation which HIQA received is very comprehensive and strongly highlights the Hospital Group’s view as to the factors at play, not least their opinion that they remain short on bed capacity at the hospital in the context of limited bed stock across both the public and private sector in the region.”
The Department of Health in the Irish Republic has today confirmed 3,473 PCR-confirmed cases of Covid-19; up from 3,351 cases on Sunday. Yesterday, 2,865 people registered a positive antigen test through the HSE portal.
Two previous days of Covid data were also released today, showing 3,351 PCR-confirmed cases of Covid and 2,574 people registering a positive antigen test yesterday. On Saturday last 4,847 PCR-confirmed cases and 3,076 people registered a positive antigen test.
However, today there were 634 people with Covid-19 being treated in hospitals across the State, up from 594 on Sunday. There were 53 patients with Covid-19, also, in hospital intensive care units in the Irish Republic; 1 more than on Sunday.
Parents and guardians of children aged between 5 and 11 years of age can now book Covid-19 vaccine appointments online. Minister For Health Mr Stephen Donnelly has confirmed that this move follows on from advice offered by National Immunisation Advisory Committee. Note: Children attending must have a parent or guardian present. Children attending alone will not be vaccinated.
In Northern Ireland, a further 2,235 cases of coronavirus were reported today, up from 1,865 on yesterday.
Today, there are 443 patients with Covid-19 in northern hospitals and of these, 12 patients are in their hospital intensive care units, an increase of 3 on Friday’s reported figures.
Sadly, 4 more Covid-19-related deaths have also been reported in Northern Ireland today and a further Covid-19 booster vaccine is to be offered to all those aged 75 and over.
National Driving Licence Service “blackguarding” the elderly, says McNamara
Junior Transport Minister Hildegarde Naughten has confirmed that the temporary Covid downgrading of all National Driving Licence Service (NDLS) offices across the State, including the Tipperary offices in Clonmel and Nenagh, has now been made permanent.
“The walk-in service previously available was originally discontinued to ensure social distancing and compliance with occupational and public health requirements,” she told Independent Clare TD Michael McNamara in the Dáil this evening (Thursday), continuing: “the current NDLS contract, which was put in place with the front office service provider in 2021, no longer offers a walk-in service.”
She outlined that an online service is available for all application types but stated that a “verified MyGovlD account, which requires a public services card (PSC), is needed” to avail of the online service. “This is despite a Data Protection Commission investigation into the legality of the Public Services Card which found that there was no lawful basis for a person to be told they needed the card for anything other than accessing social welfare or benefits,” Deputy McNamara explained.
In the Dáil this evening, Deputy McNamara raised the issue of difficulties encountered by his constituents in availing of the NDLS service in Ennis and explained to the Minister that not everybody was able to go online. He pointed out that government TDs were rightly critical of banks moving their services online because of the effect it had on various sectors, especially the elderly, and here was a government agency doing exactly the same thing.
He told the Junior Transport Minister that a man of retirement age in his constituency had to get his grandchild to make an online appointment for him, as he could no longer walk into the NDLS Centre. Having completed the forms at the office, he received a form in the post to be signed and he returned same to the NDLS and the form would not be accepted. The man subsequently went to the TD’s office, where he was assisted and the paperwork was emailed.
Another constituent took time out of work to attend his appointment in the NDLS Centre in Ennis and his paperwork was in order – only to discover that the staff would not accept cash from him and he did not have a card. He rang his wife for card details but this would not be accepted as his wife was not present.
McNamara informed the Minister that a woman in her 80’s had told him she spent an hour and a half on the phone trying, in vain, to get an appointment. The TD’s office rang the NDLS and spent 45 minutes waiting, but nobody answered.
Minister Naughten claimed that no ‘show rates’ at the Ennis office in January were 12.3% of all booked appointments and to date in February same were 13.3% and she urged customers to ensure that they attend at their appointed time as, where appointments are not held on time, this affects the service for following appointments.
However, Deputy McNamara said he had received reports from neighbouring businesses of elderly customers leaving the office in distress, as they had been turned away for being a couple of minutes late, but within their 10-minute allotted slot which, he said, might account for the apparently high “no-show” rate.
Minister Naughten confirmed to the Clare TD that an additional staff member was due to commence employment at the centre which, she said, would enable the Ennis office to operate at a two-booth capacity. She also confirmed that she would have the long telephone wait times looked into.
McNamara insisted that the NDLS were “blackguarding the elderly” with the service currently being provided.
Thurles.info is pleased to announce €31.2 million euro for roads across Co. Tipperary, confirmed yesterday by Transport Minister.
One window on Kickham Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
As I listen to the filthy, scummy water strike the front window of my humble home for hours today; I read the positive, yet imaginary scripts, in the press and social media, attempting to bolster Mr Michael Lowry TD’s position in Government.
Mr Lowry, who rarely can be spotted in our principal chamber, of the Oireachtas, got in first with his press release to local press, (latter who would publish anything), highlighting and welcoming recent funding of €31.2million, allocated for the neglected roads across Co. Tipperary.
Sadly, Fianna Fáil TD, Mr Jackie Cahill’s PR agents were too slow off the mark; only managing to make Mr Cahill’s own social media page; declaring only €32 million.
Mr Cahill, always faster to get in touch, when it comes to announcing that which he had no hand act or part in; thus supporting his efforts to appear powerful; was also like Mr Lowry, very pleased, “to receive confirmation from the Minister for Transport, that Tipperary County Council has been allocated over €31 million in this year’s Regional and Local Roads Programme“. No one told his Press Team about the extra €218,438 received in loose change.
But the joke was in the finer detail of Mr Cahill’s PR social media script,quote; “I am continuing my work as Tipperary’s Government T.D. to ensure that these strategic developments happen (Namely the Thurles Inner Relief Road announced in 2013, planning to wipe out the Great Famine, Double Ditch & the Latteragh Road Realignment Upgrade announced in April 2017), and I will continue to work with colleagues in Government to see these projects progress”. Mr Cahill or Mr Lowry, despite chasing millionaires, did not mention their continuous failure, over past number of years in office, to get funding for that elusive “Thurles Bypass”, plans of which were first put on display for public consultation 13 years ago, on October 1st, 2009.
Neither Mr Lowry and his “Lowry Team” nor Mr Cahill and his “deceptiveimagination”, have the power to fill a couple of potholes on the badly neglected streets of Thurles.
Although both TD’s were contacted; together with all local Municipal District councillors and officials, about the current neglect of Kickham Street, Thurles, all have remained incapable of sending even one simple positive reply or even filling one small road depression.
The Department of Health here in the Republic of Ireland have confirmed a further 5,268 PCR-confirmed cases of Covid-19; with a further 4,613 positive antigen tests logged through the HSE portal. Same above confirmed figures bring the total number of virus cases in the Irish Republic, to 9,881; up a further 1,066 cases on yesterday’s reported figures.
On the Irish mainland in the past 24 hours, 12,770 new cases have been confirmed; up 968 on yesterday’s reported figures.
The Department of Health has also reported 108 deaths related to Covid-19 since last Wednesday, bringing the total number of deaths linked to the virus to 6,399.
There are 631 people currently in hospital with the virus, down 6 on figures reported yesterday.
A further 2,889 cases of coronavirus were reported in Northern Ireland in the past 24 hours, down from 2,987 on yesterday’s reported figures.
There were 474 patients with Covid-19 in northern hospitals; down 2 on yesterday and of these, 12 patients remain in intensive care units, down 1 on yesterday.
Sadly, 5 Covid-19-related deaths have also been reported in Northern Ireland today, bringing the total number of deaths linked to Covid-19, since the start of the pandemic, to 3,165. Yesterday also, Stormont’s chief scientific adviser, Professor Ian Young, warned people residing in Northern Ireland that the lifting of Covid-19 legal restrictions, should not be viewed at present as “freedom day”.
In New Zealand Covid-19 infections have reached a record high, as police fail to clear anti-vaccine protesters and their vehicles, latter blocking the streets around their countries parliament.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s daily count of new coronavirus cases has topped 90,000 for the first time, same caused by the fast-spreading Omicron variant; almost doubling their previous daily tallies, within the past 7 days, despite 86% of their population having been fully vaccinated and 58% having received a booster shot.
In Japan yesterday, there were 236 new coronavirus fatalities, their worst ever one-day Covid death total.
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