Health unions met with members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) on Monday (8th April). 

The meeting was sought by the Oireachtas Committee due to concerns raised by the health unions about acute overcrowding, congestion and delayed delivery of services, an ongoing feature of operations at the hospital.

Ahead of the meeting Fórsa surveyed its members working at UHL, the results of which were presented to the Oireachtas Committee during the meeting.

Fórsa official Mike MacNamara said the Fórsa survey illustrated the issues affecting members arising from the ongoing recruitment embargo imposed by the HSE last October. 

He added: “We advised the committee that the issues affecting the emergency department filtered down to the outpatients’ clinics, and affects HSCPs, pharmacy and other areas where we have clearly identified lack of resources, staff stress and burnout, staff retention problems and a real sense that staff are feeling undervalued.”

The Fórsa survey reveals that many departments cannot operate at full capacity due to understaffing, with a significant number of respondents describing the hospital as being “at breaking point.”

Mike added: “All the unions had the same ask: to withdraw the recruitment moratorium and start to put in place a viable plan to deal with the resources needed for the long-term viability of the hospital’s emergency department. 

“We also addressed the issues arising from the HSE's planned use of St Conlon's nursing home in Nenagh, and our opposition to the HSE outsourcing it as a step-down facility.”

“We advised the Oireachtas members of what we’ve described as a total breakdown in trust between ourselves and management arising from the blatant disregard for the consultation requirements and the breach of public service agreements on outsourcing,” he said.

Mike also highlighted specific problems including trollies blocking corridors, the lack of toilet facilities for the large numbers of patients on trollies, the inability of porters to navigate their way through the blocked corridors to transport patients and the “indignity” for patients of having to discuss private and sensitive health concerns within earshot of other patients.

Unions also advised the committee that Ireland has a hospital bed occupancy rate in excess of 97% and, taking into account admitted patients waiting in UHL’s emergency department, that the actual rate is 105%, while the internationally accepted level is just 85%.

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