Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I must take him up on his comment on the 24 patients on trolleys because the INMO is insistent that this is what they have been told by management.

I welcome the positive development for Limerick. This emergency department will be a great benefit to many people. I will be visiting the hospital tomorrow at the invitation of the CEO. Limerick has waited long enough for this investment. Everybody has agreed that the old emergency department was not fit for purpose but the concerns of the nurses working on the ground are worrying. A new building and facilities will be of little use if there are no trained specialists there to staff them. These nurses from the INMO are on the ground and know the issues better than anyone. They know what works and what is needed. I suggest the Minister of State listens carefully to their concerns and addresses the problems they raise.

The nurses have also highlighted the need for more preparation for the move to the new facility. Only one dry run of the new facility has been undertaken to date and problems were highlighted in this. It is my understanding that normally two or three dry runs are done before a move like this. Nurses want more preparation and more run-throughs before patients start coming through the doors. Management is clearly not listening to the INMO, and that is why I must raise it here. I look forward to the Minister of State taking action on these issues. I welcome what is happening and I hope the Minister of State does not turn what is such a good news story for Limerick into a bad news story by not addressing the issues raised by the nurses.

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