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

We have discussed this previously. After that team has been set up, we could possibly look at a further team for the west of Clare, just because of the geography and how far they are from other kinds of supports. The full-capacity protocol was triggered every single day of 2023 in UHL, again pointing to the emergency department not being the best place for those patients. I also queried how many people leave the emergency department each month of the year and the numbers were stark, with in excess of 500 people month on month. July showed the highest number at 656. It was significantly higher for UHL than any other hospital bar the three main Dublin hospitals. That again points to UHL being a major anomaly, as the Minister has indicated. In 2009, HIQA recommended the closure of Ennis Hospital as insufficient numbers of patients were presenting to maintain healthcare staff's clinical skills and expertise. However, we also know from the regional health forum that 25% of presentations to UHL, nearly 8,000 people, are from Clare.

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