The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has welcomed the publication of ‘Advice to the Minister for Health to inform decision-making around the design and delivery of urgent and emergency healthcare services in the HSE Mid West region of Ireland ‘ by the Health and Information Quality Authority.
INMO Assistant Director of Industrial Relations for the Midwest, Mary Fogarty said:
The Government must act swiftly based on HIQA’s recommendations regarding the future of urgent and unscheduled care in the Midwest. Any approach should align with Sláintecare to create a seamless, patient-centred model across acute, community, and primary care.
Since the downgrading of services in Nenagh, Ennis and St. John’s in April 2009, over 176,870 patients have been on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick. Over 2,386 patients have been on trolleys in September 2025 alone. This overcrowding jeopardises patient safety and negatively impacts the well-being of nurses at the Dooradoyle campus.
“Whatever decision is made regarding the expansion of care in the Midwest region, it will be meaningless unless there is a funded workforce plan incorporating robust recruitment and retention strategies. The capacity issues that currently exist in UHL are exacerbated by ongoing staffing shortages, which the INMO has highlighted for years. There are approximately 300 nurse staffing vacancies with over 30 vacancies in the ED alone. This report points out the historical effect of reconfiguration and staffing moratorium on the situation that has evolved since 2009, the current restrictions on recruitment in place are having a similar effect and must be lifted immediately.
Swift and decisive action must be taken as the current situation is doing a disservice to the entire hospital community. In the short term, the HSE Mid West must focus on reducing the number of patients on trolleys.