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

Before this House rose for the summer recess, Members, including me, raised the urgent need for statements on University Hospital Limerick, UHL, particularly overcrowding and the number of patients on trolleys on a daily basis. As the Taoiseach knows, the mid-west is the only region with a model 4 hospital that does not have a supporting model 3 hospital with an emergency department. The Taoiseach stated at the time that he would prefer to wait for the results from the HIQA review but now we know that this is not likely to come before the House before next summer. We also know that surge capacity was triggered every day of last year in UHL and that one quarter of presentations at the hospital are from County Clare. We also know that there are 13% fewer beds in UHL compared with the average model 4 hospital and that the hospital is expected to care for a population of over 431,000. I again acknowledge the national heroes who are making great strides in the face of these extreme pressures. Can we have statements on the floor of the House?

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