'The current situation is not acceptable' : Plan revealed to tackle hospital overcrowding

The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced a number of measures to alleviate the overcrowding crisis at one of the busiest hospitals in Ireland.

Speaking following a visit to University Hospital Limerick this Thursday, Mr Donnelly confirmed that he had agreed the measures, which include increasing the amount of beds at the hospital, with the HSE. 

UHL is consistently one of the most overcrowded hospitals in the country and a number of separate investigations are continuing following the deaths of patients who has presented at the emergency department.

New figures show that so far this year 17% of those who waited on trolleys across the county did so at UHL - an increase of 49% compared to 2023.

Speaking to reporters on the UHL campus, Minister Donnelly said: "This continued problem is not acceptable to me as minister, and it most certainly is not acceptable to the people of this region.

"These measures have proved to be successful when deployed in Waterford, Mullingar, Beaumont and elsewhere and I expect that they will be successful when they are rolled out here in Limerick.

"Reform and change are difficult, they challenge us all, but reform and change are required here in UHL if we are to provide the service the people of this region expect and deserve."

Minister Donnelly also met with representative groups of nursing and NCHD staff during his visit to the hospital.