*Colette Cowan.
CEO of UL Hospitals Group, Colette Cowan has made a surprise return from leave to resume her duties.
At the beginning of February on a week of further record overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), Ms Cowan went on temporary leave with senior staff at the hospital informed that she would be vacating on “leave period” but with no indication of why and for how long.
Attendees of Tuesday’s Regional Health Forum meeting were shocked to see the Galway woman sitting at the top table for the meeting in what was her first public appearance since going on leave. Sonya Cotter had served as Acting CEO during Cowan’s absence.
Neither the HSE or UL Hospitals Group could comment on the matter when contacted by The Clare Echo. A spokesperson for the HSE stated, “The HSE does not comment on staff matters”.
February saw UHL record its worst month on record for overcrowding. Figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) outlined that there was 2,247 patients waiting for a bed in the emergency department and various wards in the hospital last month.
Prior to Cowan’s temporary leave, Friends of Ennis Hospital had called on Clare’s Oireachtas members to summon UHL management before the Dáil to “explain why the increase in staffing has not resulted in a decrease in trolleys. We further call upon you to put a motion of no confidence in hospital management before the Dáil”.
Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) admitted that he was unaware of Ms Cowan’s return to work and was first informed of it after speaking to a Fianna Fáil colleague who attended the Regional Health Forum.
Both Deputy Crowe and Senator Martin Conway (FG) are part of the Oireachtas Health Committee which is due to undertake a visit to UHL in the next fortnight. “A huge amount of the work undertaken by our committee so far has centred on the inadequacies at UHL and I think it is now time that we visit the hospital in-person. As a Clare TD, I regularly am in contact with the hospital and I’ve been there many times, there are colleagues on our committee who are less familiar with the goings-on at UHL and for this reason I think it is important that they have eyes on what is happening there and the fact that so many people are being funnelled through one accident and emergency system.
“I would prefer if our visit was unannounced but unfortunately that is not how these things work and we have to get clearance from the HSE before the visit can happen, I hope it will be productive and I think the politicians from all parties need to have a deep understanding of the UHL situation and equally understand the fact that working our way out of the current problems of UHL will require investment and hopefully upgrading of other hospitals in the Mid-West region,” Deputy Crowe added.
