Patients still at risk of harm at UHL, according to Hiqa review
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In the wake of Hiqa issuing yet another damning inspection report on University Hospital Limerick (UHL), the watchdog has said that overcrowding in the hospital should not be inevitable with “strong management” and “necessary investment”.
In its latest inspection report on the hospital, Hiqa found high patient numbers and overcrowding and warned: “The processes in place may not be fully sufficient to protect people who use the service from the risk of harm.”
It highlighted an “ongoing mismatch between the number of people attending the emergency department and the hospital’s capacity”. The report also said changes which had been put in place to protect patients after a previous inspection “were still not fully effective”.
Sean Egan, Hiqa director of healthcare regulation, said that, despite efforts to make improvements, overcrowding means risks for patients at UHL are “higher than in other services”.
“It is not inevitable that hospital overcrowding occurs,” he told the , and pointed to Waterford and Beaumont hospitals as examples of changed environments.
“But what it does require is strong management, a clear vision for how things need to be rectified, and the necessary investment.”
On Thursday, there were 82 patients on trolleys in UHL, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
During the inspection, Hiqa did find higher staffing levels. Mr Egan said the increases in nurses and non-consultant hospital doctors is a positive development for patient safety, as well the switch in January to the emergency medicine early warning system.
Mr Egan also urged anyone who needs emergency care to continue attending UHL, saying: “At the end of the day, it’s a facility to treat people who are unwell — the consequences of not attending an emergency department are quite significant as well.”
The Hiqa report follows inquests into the deaths of 16-year-old Aoife Johnston and Martin Abbott, 65, both of which highlighted risks from overcrowding at UHL, as did a January court case on the death of Eve Cleary, 21.
Earlier this week, when discussing the findings of Ms Johnston’s inquest, HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster took issue with a description of UHL’s emergency department being a “death trap”. He said the department is “much more safe now” despite the fact that there is still overcrowding.
Mr Gloster said the number of junior doctors in the department since Ms Johnston died has gone from 26 to 47, while the number of emergency consultants has gone from 10 to 15.
He said nurse staffing levels have also increased.
A UHL spokesman said the Hiqa findings “confirm a slow but steady improvement in overall compliance”, linked to more staff, new pathways to care, and strengthened governance.
“We also acknowledge Hiqa’s finding that overcrowding continues to represent a patient safety risk and we are committed to working with the authority and with all other stakeholders in addressing this through a combination of additional resources and further reforms,” he said.
The INMO has called on Government to fast-track the Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill to give Hiqa more powers.
INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “The powers of Hiqa need to go further than inspection and comment.” She said the bill would give the regulator authority to ensure its recommendations are acted on.
Earlier this week, a new external support team was announced for the hospital by Mr Gloster and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.