Ms Tricia Delaney:

My name is Tricia Delaney. I am a representative of Nenagh Needs Its A and E, a grassroots organisation fighting for the restoration of vital emergency department services in our local hospitals, including Nenagh. In 2009, Nenagh Hospital, Ennis Hospital and St. John's Hospital Limerick witnessed a downgrading of their emergency departments to the status of local injury units. The decision in this regard had severe consequences for our communities as it meant that only basic injuries could be treated locally while more serious cases were diverted to UHL. Regrettably, the promised expansion of patient capacity at UHL, the central hub for ED services, has not materialised in the 14 years since the downgrade.

Today, despite the heroic efforts of staff on the ground, UHL's emergency department stands as the worst performing in Ireland by numerous metrics, consistently facing severe overcrowding and posing a clear threat to patient safety. The dire situation in UHL has resulted in vulnerable and sick individuals, including the elderly, enduring shameful conditions. Patients often spend days on trolleys before receiving the necessary treatment or being transferred to a hospital ward. Expert evidence has highlighted cases where patients suffered long-term health consequences or tragically lost their lives due to extended stays in UHL's emergency department. This crisis is not just a matter of statistics; it profoundly affects our community. More than 15,000 concerned citizens have signed a petition, a collective plea for the restoration of full emergency department services at Nenagh Hospital, Ennis Hospital and St. John's Hospital Limerick.

The people have endured 14 years of broken promises and failed attempts to address this escalating crisis. Any solutions put forward by the Department of Health and the HSE have proven to be nothing more than patchwork efforts and have failed. The people of the mid-west deserve more than temporary fixes. It is time for comprehensive, sustainable solutions that prioritise the health and well-being of our communities. We are well aware that many within Government, the HSE and political classes on all sides view our demands as naive. However, in the 14-year period since the ill-fated hospital reconfigurations, neither the HSE nor the Government have presented any effective solutions to address the dire overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick's emergency department. This overcrowding poses an immediate threat to the safety and well-being of well over 400,000 people in north Tipperary and across the mid-west.

On 24 June 2022, the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, spoke to Tipp FM. When pressed on the success or failure of reconfiguration, he responded, “It clearly hasn’t worked”. We come here today not only as advocates for change but representing a community that has borne the brunt of a failed reconfiguration. We urge the Government to listen to the words of its own Minister when he admitted that reconfiguration has not worked, to consider the 15,000 voices represented in our petition and take decisive action. The restoration of full emergency department services at Nenagh Hospital, Ennis Hospital and St. John's Hospital Limerick is not just a demand; it is a lifeline for the people who signed this petition.