Unprecedented increase in UHL attendances - HSE

The HSE Mid-West has addressed overcrowding issues at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) due to a persistent structural mismatch between patient demand and available capacity. The Regional Executive Management Team responded to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) which highlighted the situation as extremely challenging and a constant issue daily.

INMO had called for an independent examination on presentations and decisions to admit at UHL, which the HSE Mid-West claims has already been completed by the Economic and Social Research Institute and the health watchdog, HIQA.

Currently, there are 614 patients waiting for beds, with 366 in emergency departments and 248 in other wards across hospitals in the country. In UHL today, there are 113 patients on trolleys, down slightly from 130 yesterday. On Monday to Thursday last week, UHL had over 1,350 attendances, resulting in 57,000 attendances this year, a 1,500 increase from 2025.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, HSE Mid-West Regional Clinical Lead for Strategy and Development Dr. Terry Hennessy emphasized the unprecedented increase in UHL attendances, especially during the four-day period.

Hennessy stated that while the number is substantial, the year thus far has seen 57,000 attendances at UHL's Emergency Department, leading to 18,000 admissions, a rise from 2025. The HSE Mid-West thanked the staff at Dooradoyle site for their excellent work this year and in recent years, dealing with the high presentation rate to the Mid-West Emergency Department (ED).

Hennessy acknowledged that the real problem in the Mid-West lies in capacity issues, specifically bed numbers and staffing. He noted that the Mid-West is near the bottom in terms of both bed numbers and staffing available to care for presenting patients. This issue is not limited to the acute hospital model but extends to rehabilitation and GP practices as well.

Dr. Hennessy emphasized that this has been well pointed out to the HSE through three reports by the ESRI and HIQA, indicating a deficit in capacity in the Mid-West. He also mentioned that the medical board at UHL has called for dispensation for recruitment in staffing terms to address the risk of increased presentations to the ED.