Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In just six days, it will be one year since the heartbreaking death of a beautiful young girl in UHL after she lay in the accident and emergency department for 12 hours with untreated sepsis. As a parent, there is no worse nightmare than what her family went through on that day. I again express my deepest sympathies for their loss.

In the days following her death and into the Christmas period, the wheels truly fell off at UHL. A major internal incident was declared. At the same time, Shannondoc became completely overwhelmed, dealing, on average, with one patient every minute. Calls went unanswered, which meant my constituents were denied basic access to healthcare over Christmas and into the new year. They cannot be left to face this scenario again. What measures have the Taoiseach and the Government put in place at UHL to deal with surge capacity over the Christmas period? I want assurances the HSE will be holding a microscope over the poor management of UHL. I want to know how Shannondoc will be supported to avoid collapse. The Taoiseach should be under no illusion. If we see a repeat if the fiasco that went on last year, I will be seeking accountability on behalf of County Clare.

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