Tipperary councillor calls for details of safety audit at Limerick hospital to be released

A Tipperary county councillor has called on University Hospital Limerick to release an update on a safety audit carried out last year at University Hospital Limerick by the Limerick Fire Service.

Cllr Seamus Morris had asked Nenagh Municipal District Council to write to the fire services in Limerick to see if a risk assessment could be carried out in ED due to the then high numbers on trolleys.

Limerick chief fire officer Michael Ryan replied to the council that there had been consultations between themselves and the hospital, which had carried out a risk assessment to determine the safe number of trolleys in the ED. This included escalation protocols.

Mr Ryan wrote that if a copy of the report was required, it should be asked for through University Hospital Limerick Group.

Cllr Morris has now written to Prof Colette Cowan, CEO of UHLG, asking for details of the risk assessment.

Cllr Morris's request comes after the hospital declared a 'major internal incident' earlier this month following which trolley numbers have remained high with patients being sent to Nenagh and Ennis hospitals where surge beds were opened.

UHLG also changed its protocol to allow for some patients to be brought directly to Ennis Medical Assessment Unit, bypassing Limerick, and is looking at allowing the same procedure for Nenagh MAU.

The crisis has led to day surgery being cancelled in Nenagh for the second week running.