New team confirmed to tackle UHL trolley crisis – with four weeks to devise plan

Dr Fergal Hickey, a former emergency consultant in University Hospital Sligo, will join two senior HSE officials on the team to help devise a plan to tackle Limerick’s ongoing trolley gridlock.

It follows last week’s inquest in to the death of Aoife Johnston (16) from Clare who died of sepsis after waiting sixteen hours in the emergency department of Limerick Hospital in December , 2022.

The other two members of the team are Grace Rothwell, a former chief executive of University Hospital Waterford which has consistently had little overcrowding. She is now the HSE’s National Director overseeing acute hospitals.

She is joined by a former colleague Orla Kavanagh Director of Nursing and Integration at Waterford University Hospital.

University Hospital Limerick is the only hospital in the midwest with an emergency department to cater for a population of over 400,000.

The team was announced today by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and HSE chief Bernard Gloster who said they will have four weeks to help devise a number of actions designed in particular to ease overcrowding and pressures in the emergency department in Limerick.

The minister said: “I’m concerned about the ongoing pressures on health services in the region, which are seen particularly in the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick.

“We need to provide re-assurance to the people of the mid west region and address the very serious pressures on the services.

"While a number of interventions have been made, I have spoken Mr Gloster of the need to address this situation immediately. The support team should deliver an improvement for patients quickly.”

Mr Gloster added: “The HSE is conscious of the pressures in various hospitals regarding the number of patients on trolleys awaiting admission. This is recognised by the HSE as a key safety concern and a variety of ongoing assurances are necessary in such situations.

“While challenged in a small number of sites we are particularly so in Limerick at this time. Patient flow involves the whole of the Health Service and we are using our own internal mechanisms to support the mid west region for the next number of weeks.

“This support team will now work with the regional executive officer and her team in community healthcare, public health and the University of Limerick Hospital group to manage patient flow and de-escalate the current pressures being experienced.”