Social Democrats health spokesperson R\u00f3is\u00edn Shortall has welcomed the Taoiseach\u2019s willingness to consider her proposal for the State to purchase Barrington\u2019s Hospital in Limerick as part of a range of measures needed to solve the healthcare crisis in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn response to my proposal in the D\u00e1il today, the Taoiseach indicated that consideration would be given to the purchase of Barrington\u2019s Hospital, which is currently on the market for \u20ac12.5m.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the scale of the hospital overcrowding crisis at UHL, which is having a devastating impact on patient care and staff welfare, any measure to increase bed capacity in the region is urgently required.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite plans for additional beds at UHL, the reality is that they are not coming on stream fast enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cA new 96-bed unit in Limerick, which will really only result in 71 additional beds, is due in 2025. Another 96-bed unit will be delivered by 2028 \u2013 assuming there are no delays.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, people in the Midwest cannot wait that long \u2013 and they shouldn\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is why the sale of Barrington\u2019s Hospital, a fully functional 53-bed hospital in Limerick city, represents an opportunity for the Government to do something it rarely does \u2013 act decisively and coherently to fix a problem in our health service.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe purchase of this hospital alone will not solve the healthcare emergency in Limerick. Staff shortages across a number of specialist areas are also contributing to the chaos at UHL, placing an intolerable burden on hospital staff and impacting patient safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the very least, the HSE\u2019s recruitment moratorium must be reversed so we can increase the pipeline of staff into critical areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition, assigning Model 3 status to a hospital within the region would restore some Emergency Department services to these areas and take the pressure off UHL. It remains the only hospital group in the country without a hospital with this designation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI welcome the Taoiseach\u2019s commitment today to look at all the measures I outlined to bring about a Midwest health service that is fit for purpose and does not put lives in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
May 1, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Social Democrats health spokesperson R\u00f3is\u00edn Shortall has welcomed the Taoiseach\u2019s willingness to consider her proposal for the State to purchase Barrington\u2019s Hospital in Limerick as part of a range of measures needed to solve the healthcare crisis in the region. \u201cIn response to my proposal in the D\u00e1il today, the Taoiseach indicated that consideration would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2063,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,7,264],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-press-release","category-roisin-shortall"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n