The HSE Mid West has said attendance figures for the A and E department in Limerick are a rebuttal of claims that closure of Emergency services in Ennis would swamp the hospital in Dooradoyle.
An audit of Accident and Emergency figures at Limerick regional shows daily attendances have risen by an average of four patients per day since April 6th, the day the teamwork changes for the Mid-West took effect.
This HSE audit compares figures from the five weeks prior to the closure of A and E facilities in Ennis and Nenagh to the four weeks following the teamwork changes – April 6th to May 3rd.
Overall the increase in daily attendances was an average of four patients over a 24 hour period – but there was an increase of seven patients per night between 8pm and 8am when services are no longer provided at Ennis General – On average – five of these seven patients are from County Clare – with one from North Tipperary and one from Limerick.
The HSE says the changes have seen an average two extra patients requiring admission each day in Limerick, but there’s been a reduction in waiting times, and a spokesperson told Clare FM the data constitutes an "effective rebuttal of claims that Limerick A and E would be swamped with patients" from Ennis and Nenagh.
But the HSE claims come as the Irish Nurses Organisation considers industrial action over conditions in Limerick, while Impact Trade Union members say the ‘cost-saving, fast-tracked’ plan by the HSE is putting lives at risk in Clare.
