Health inspectors to intervene in Limerick hospital trolley crisis

But Rural Independent Limerick TD Richard O’Donoghue says that unless HIQA inspections are unannounced, they will not produce results.

“I want an independent investigation into the hospital and the management structure. The structure that is in place is clearly not working,” he told the Limerick Post.

Speaking in the Dáil, he called for hospital management to step down and for an audit on hospital structures and practices to be put in place.

Minister Butler said that the escalation plan for the hospital is in place and that this involves measures such as doctors making extra rounds to discharge patients who are ready to go home and patients who are suitable being transferred to level two hospitals.

A spokesperson for HIQA told the Limerick Post that they had been engaging with both University Hospital Limerick and UL Hospitals Group on overcrowding in the hospital over the past year.

“Following engagement in the past few weeks, they have provided HIQA with a comprehensive update on the lack of bed capacity at the hospital and in the wider region, and how that is impacting on overcrowding.

“HIQA has engaged with the HSE at a national level to seek clarity around how it intends to address this situation over the medium term.

“HIQA continues to monitor the issue of overcrowding, and its impact on patients, across the country. HIQA is preparing to launch a new inspection programme in public acute hospitals in the coming weeks to assess compliance with the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare,” the spokesperson added.