Hospital waiting list chaos

Staff at Nenagh Hospital are experiencing “chaos with planned procedures and waiting lists” because of an overflow of patients from the overcrowded regional hospital in Limerick being transferred to Nenagh, Independent TD Michael Lowry stated this week.

Deputy Lowry said the huge volume of patients requiring medical care at the University Hospital Limerick - the most under pressure hospital in the State - is having a growing knock-on effect on patient treatment at Nenagh.

“This is a direct result of the continued transfer of medical patients from the Limerick hospital to Nenagh, and the need to accommodate these patients in beds in the Surgical Day Ward [in Nenagh],” said Deputy Lowry.

He added: “When these beds are in use by the transferred patients, it results in the cancellation of planned day surgery in Nenagh Hospital, causing chaos with planned procedures and waiting lists.”

Deputy Lowry, calling for action to resolve the problem, said the pressure leading to chaos in Nenagh was unacceptable. “I have contacted senior management at the HSE requesting an immediate review of this short-sighted policy,” he said.

‘ANGUISH AND UPSET’

Deputy Lowry said there are reports emerging of patients with appointments in Nenagh receiving a call a short time before their admission to the Day Ward to tell them that their planned and necessary procedure is cancelled.

“This is causing anguish and upset to patients and their families,” he said.

He pointed out that patients from all over the Mid-West are sent to Nenagh Hospital for a wide range of day surgeries, including cataract treatment, orthopaedic surgery, gynaecological procedures, urology and vascular procedures, and many other planned elective surgeries.

He said patients who had been let down by the system had been advised well in advance of their upcoming procedures in Nenagh.

Up to and including January 26, the full list of surgical procedures [scheduled in Nenagh] went ahead only on January 15 and 16, he said.

Deputy Lowry indicated that the patient overflows from UHL sent to Nenagh were having a major impact on already planned procedures in Nenagh.

He added: “The cancellation and deferment of day surgeries for patients is totally unacceptable.”

“Many patients, including elderly men and women, worry that delayed medical intervention will compromise their health,” said Deputy Lowry.

PATIENT ‘WORRY’

“Such neglect of patients is short-term thinking that, along with causing major inconvenience and stress to patients, also causes disruption and frustration to specialist surgical staff who find themselves redeployed to other areas of the hospital.

“Ultimately, the continued cancellation of planned procedures will have a negative knock-on effect on the Day Care Unit in Nenagh,” concluded Deputy Lowry.

The comments made by the TD come just over two weeks after a protest march in Limerick in relation to ongoing overcrowding at UHL.