THE CEO of St John’s Hospital in Limerick City has welcomed the investment of €1.4 million to keep the Medical Assessment Unit permanently open at weekends.
CEO Emer Martin told the Limerick Post that the Minister reacted very favourably to the latest development in plans for a new 150-bed block at the city hospital site.
The package, announced by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly when he visited the Mid West late last week, will also create 10 new roles. Speaking to the Limerick Post, Ms Martin revealed that many of those roles were already being progressed and positions will be filled in the coming weeks.
“This is a very significant investment in the hospital and a fantastic vote of confidence in the dedication of the staff and the new developments were have introduced,” the CEO said.
The funding will open 2,024 new MAU slots to St John’s Hospital per year and give GPs better access to hospital medical care and assessment for patients.
The move aims to relieve some of the pressure on the chronically overcrowded Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick.
Among the 10 new roles to be created at St John’s are one consultant doctor, two medical registrars, three nursing staff, one senior physiotherapist, one radiographer, one porter, and one clerical officer.
Ms Martin revealed that the consultant post has already been filled, as have the nursing positions, the physiotherapist, two new junior doctors, while the radiographer’s position is still at interview stages.
Most of the new staff are due to take up their posts before the end of July.
Asked how the Minister reacted to the hospital’s plan for a new 150 bed block, Ms Martin said: “We got a very positive and promising response. The Minister gave a commitment to review the next stage of our business proposal once it is passed by the HSE.”
The significant commitment has given the hospital board and staff a “major morale boost” in terms of bringing the plan to fruition with the various steps towards that end now moving fast, she said.
“The green light has been given from the HSE to prepare a strategic assessment report, which is the penultimate report, and when the HSE and the Minister approve that, we can move on.
“This is new territory as we were very much on our own at the launch of this proposal last year and now we have support from the HSE and from University Hospital Limerick, who have been through their own process many times.”
“We haven’t had proper investment at St John’s for a long time. The news of the funding is very inspiring and it is encouraging us to continue.
“There’s every reason now to believe that this hospital will stay where it is in the city centre and provide extended care to the people of Limerick,” she said.
