IN a move to help ease the overcrowding crisis in University Hospital Limerick, St John’s Hospital in the city is extending the opening hours of its Medical Assessment Unit to seven days a week.
The move makes extra beds, triage and treatment facilities available all week instead of the five days of normal opening and will allow GPs to refer patients directly to the unit, by-passing excruciating waiting times in the emergency department at UHL.
St John’s chief executive Emer Martin told the Limerick Post that “the staff are weighing in with this and are willing to work overtime to make it happen.
“We’re talked with UHL about doing this. We just want to do anything we can to alleviate the pressure on the emergency department and help patients.”
In addition, the hospital’s local Minor Injuries Unit will continue to open on an extended seven day basis.
The facility started to open seven days a week at the begining of Covid and it is now the second busiest unit in the country.
“We’re glad about that. We want people to use our services and we want to make a difference,” Ms Martin said.
Ms Martin explained that patients must have a referral from a GP to be treated in the unit, but the move will allow GPs to send patients they know to be suitable to the city centre hospital instead of the Dooradoyle emergency department, where people whose condition is less that critical can face very long waits.
“We will continue with the seven day opening for the month of January and we would hope to extend it after that by recruiting and using agency staff where possible,” Ms Martin said.
The unit is available to see patients from 8am each day until 6pm.
