The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has today welcomed the publication of a HIQA report of an unannounced inspection at the University Hospital Limerick Emergency Department.
INMO Deputy General Secretary, Dr Edward Mathews said:
“Today’s report as a follow on from last year’s damning inspection into the hospital is very welcome.
“The Inspection Report published today by HIQA paints a very bleak picture of what patients face on a daily basis and the conditions nurses are working in in the Ireland’s most overcrowded hospital. The report noted that on the day of inspection that the Emergency Department was over capacity by over three times the recommended number of patients that can be treated there safely. This comes as no surprise to our union whose trolley figures regularly point out to the chaotic levels of overcrowding that occur in UHL every single day.
“UHL has once again been found non-compliant when it comes to protecting the dignity and privacy of patients. This is not the fault of our members who are doing everything they can in a desperate situation.
“UHL has not been found fully compliant when it comes to safe-nurse staffing. This makes the case for safe nurse staffing underpinned by legislation even more pressing. Our members in UHL are working in an environment that has normalised over 9,534 patients on trolleys so far this year. They have had little to no reprieve from overcrowding.
“We need to see a laser-like focus from Government and the HSE to tackling the overcrowding crisis in UHL once and for all.”
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