*Minister Jennifer Carroll McNeill.
A FURTHER delay to HIQA’s major report in potentially providing a solution to overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick has seen its publication pushed back until autumn.
Commitments had previously been given by the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll McNeill (FG) that the HIQA report would be published in May, a stance that was resolute on when visiting UHL in March. It has emerged it will not be published until September.
Minister Carroll McNeill confirmed the delay in response to a parliamentary question from Social Democrats health spokesperson, Pádraig Rice TD (SD).
HIQA’s report will be crucial in deciding whether UHL will be supported by a second emergency department in the Mid-West to relieve the trolley crisis.
This delay has been viewed in some quarters as offering a ray of hope for the emergency department to be located in Clare. A briefing with Oireachtas and European Union members from the Mid-West held a month ago had indicated the HIQA review would recommend scaling up services at UHL and continuing with the ‘Centre of Excellence’ model rather than having an emergency department in Clare or Tipperary.
Pushing back the publication of the HIQA report is suggesting a change of approach.
1,121 submissions have been received by HIQA as part of the review. A number of international evidence syntheses targeted to address relevant research questions have also been undertaken.
Reacting to the delay, a spokesperson for the Mid-West Hospital Campaign stated, “The disrespect of the Mid-West continues” and labelled it as “yet another indication that the people of the Mid-West don’t matter. It is now one year and one month since HIQA were requested to carry out the review, in that time trolley occupancy in UHL has been 30,000 plus”.
Clare TD, Donna McGettigan (SF) objected to the delay and said the Government “continues to kick the can down the road when it comes to our failing healthcare system here in the Mid-West region”.
She said, “We were told by the minister that this report would be ready last month. The INMO Trolley Watch recorded more than 8000 inappropriate admissions to UHL so far this year. That is 8,000 people admitted to hospital but left on trolleys awaiting a bed. It could not be clearer that a second ED is needed for the Mid-West region. Urgent investment is needed to provide these for Ennis and Nenagh hospitals and instead we are being told to wait. Enough is enough”.
