University Hospital Limerick capacity
Alan Kelly raised urgent concerns about University Hospital Limerick, including his father’s recent experience and the opening dates for promised capacity projects and 24-hour MAUs. The Taoiseach sympathised, promised to seek timelines from the Minister for Health, and said more investment and reform were under way.
As the election is approaching us, the perennial and biggest issue in the mid-west will be the health services, as the Taoiseach can appreciate. The issues in UHL cross over into counties Tipperary, Limerick and Clare and further afield. I have direct experience of these. I have spoken on no other issue more than this. My direct experience currently is that my dad has been in the UHL suite of hospitals for the past four weeks. I had to convince a crying 85-year-old man, my own father, to actually go in because of all the reports relating to the hospital of which the Taoiseach is well aware. I really want to know the following. As we head into the election, I would like a series of dates to be provided. The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, said the new 96-bed block will be open in the first quarter of next year, but the head of the HSE, Mr. Bernard Gloster, said it will be the middle of next year. Which date is accurate? The people of the mid-west need to know.
Second, the nursing home in Nenagh, which was taken over by the HSE for acute care, is going to open whenever the 96-bed block is open, yet it is offering one-year contracts with €5,000 incentives for foreign workers to come in.
Comment on this
When will that open? It depends on the first date. Finally, the Minister and the Government committed to opening the medical assessment units, MAUs, for 24 hours. That is not happening.
Comment on this
On the 96-bed unit, the community nursing unit, CNU, and the MAUs, we need those dates confirmed by this Government before the election.
Comment on this
First, I send my best wishes to Deputy Kelly's dad. I appreciate the importance of the point the Deputy is making. I will ask the Minister for Health to provide him with the timelines for those three projects. I want to make sure he gets the accurate information regarding the 96-bed unit, the CNU and the MAUs. We have invested a lot in University Hospital Limerick. We are also doing a lot more than just investing in the capacity because serious changes were needed in that hospital. I will get the Deputy those timelines. I will ask the Minister to send them to him.