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Ambulances In Mid-West Region To Avoid UHL In Treating Non-Urgent Patients.

Ambulances operating in the mid-west region, which includes and provides medical services in North Tipperary, are to begin transporting non-urgent 112/999 patients to Ennis General Hospital as and from Monday next, as part of agreed new protocols targeting the easing of pressure on the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).
Same pressures are caused by chronic overcrowding, due to the massive surge in patients experiencing respiratory infections, including Covid-19, Flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus infection (RSV).

So with a doctor shortage in Tipperary and with many doctors failing to answer their telephones, due to work pressure; who decides who is non-urgent?
For example, are mild strokes urgent or non-urgent? If you have a silent stroke, you probably won’t know it unless you happen to have a brain scan and the damage shows up.
We are told an electrocardiogram (ECG) is an important test in any suspected mild heart attacks and should be done within 10 minutes of being admitted to hospital.

Death By Geography.

Back in October 2016 we previously raised this issue.
The distance from Thurles to Ennis is 116.3 km, with a normal travelling time of 1 hr-24 min via R498 and M7. Currently for medical help, the distance from Thurles to the UHL medical facility in Limerick is 78.1 km, with normal travelling time 1 hr-6 min also via R498 and M7, or a difference of 38.2 km. This new agreed regulation now adds a further 18 minutes to those victims suffering heart attacks or strokes, where timing is all important so that the person suffering can be treated quickly.

Since 2009, the Model 4 UHL facility has provided the only 24-hour Emergency Department service for a population over 400,000, taking into account newly arrived refugees, after A&E services were closed, under a Fianna Fáil government, in Ennis and Nenagh and in St John’s Hospital Limerick.

The UL Hospitals Group, which operates the mid-west hospitals, declared a major incident at the UHL ED on last Monday, January 2nd, when management said record levels of patients attending the department could no longer be sustained.

The silence within our rural Thurles community continues. Why?

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Sick Children Should Be Kept At Home For 48 Hours After Symptoms Resolved.

The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Breda Smyth, is urging parents to continue to be mindful of others when their children are sick and to keep them home from school and childcare facilities, if they are displaying new symptoms of illness.

The flu, COVID-19 and RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) is continuing to spread, with these three respiratory viruses, accounting for more than 1,200 hospitalisations last week.

Professor Smyth also strongly advised anyone with any new flu-like symptoms, to stay at home to avoid spreading infection to other potentially more vulnerable people.

Parents were also reminded by Professor Smyth that children should be kept at home for at least 48 hours after their symptoms have fully or substantially resolved.

For Further information, please do visit HERE.

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University Hospital Limerick Declare A Major Internal Incident Due To ED Attendances.

Management at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), latter providing medical services to North Tipperary, have declared a major internal incident, due to the record high attendances at its Emergency Department (ED) today.

A spokesperson for the hospital has stated that patients attending UHL ED with non-emergency care will face an exceptionally long wait before receiving any necessary care, due to the massive surge in patients experiencing respiratory infections, including Covid-19, Flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus infection (RSV)

Less acutely unwell patients are being asked to first consider Injury Units; GPs; out-of-hours GP services; and pharmacists before attending at UHL’s hospital emergency department.

In order to try to address the worsening situation at the hospital, UHL has sent out an S.O.S call for off-duty staff to return and present themselves to the hospital for work duty; while additional surge beds are being opened at hospitals in Ennis Co. Clare; Nenagh Co. Tipperary, and in St. John’s Co. Limerick.

Day beds at University Hospital Limerick are also being converted to inpatient beds, with a renewed focus on discharging current patients.

All outpatient appointments at UHL, scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, January 3rd, have been cancelled and only urgent elective surgery will be undertaken over the coming days.

Note: Injury Units in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s will continue to operate as normal, while all visiting to UHL is now severely restricted, to parents of children, those visiting patients who are critically unwell and those assisting confused patients (e.g. dementia).

The National Ambulance Service (NAS) have also been asked to divert some patients to other acute hospitals, in an effort to support the extreme levels of demand at UHL.

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2022 Recorded A 13% Rise In Road Deaths

Provisional road collision figures, in the Irish Republic, show that the number of road deaths in 2022 increased by 13% compared to 2021.

  • 2022 saw the doubling of pedestrian deaths.
  • Drivers account for 39% of fatalities.
  • Counties Cork (13), Dublin (13) and Limerick (10) recorded highest number of fatalities with Co. Tipperary (7), featuring in joint 8th position.
  • 1,292 people seriously injured.
  • Almost 1 in 5 drivers and passengers killed were found not to have been wearing a seatbelt.
Road Deaths Per County
Road User.20212022Difference
Drivers.7060-10
Passengers.1822+4
Motorcyclists.2223+1
Cyclists.770
Pedestrians.2041+21
E-Scooter Driver/Passenger.01+1
Other.01+1
Total.137155+18

According to the Irish Road Safety Authority; a total of 155 people died in 149 fatal road collisions in 2022, compared to 137 deaths in 124 fatal road collisions in 2021. This represents an increase of 18 deaths or a 13% rise in road fatalities compared to last year.

[The figures were published by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) today Sunday, January 1st 2023, following an analysis of provisional fatal collision reports from An Garda Síochána.]

The figures also indicate that the number of pedestrians killed in 2022 (41, +21) doubled, when compared to 2021. Despite a decrease in the number of drivers killed (60, -10), drivers still accounted for the highest proportion of fatalities at 39%. The number of passenger fatalities increased (22, +4) a 22% increase. A total of 7 cyclists were killed in 2022, the same number as 2021.

Provisional figures for serious injuries indicate that 1,292 serious injuries were recorded up to the 29 December 2022, compared to 1,342 up to the same period in 2021.

Where it was possible to establish the use of a seatbelt or not among drivers and passengers killed, a total of 19% were found not to have been wearing a seatbelt.

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Covid Booster Vaccinations On Offer To Those Aged 18-49 year olds.

A Covid-19 booster vaccination is to be offered to anyone aged between 18 to 49 years of age, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has confirmed, with appointment bookings being encouraged from today.

Same information comes as hospitals remain under severe pressure with significant numbers of people waiting for admission, lying on trolleys in emergency departments; same situation driven by a sudden rise in respiratory infections, including Covid-19 and the flu.

The number of patients in our hospitals today, having come into contact with the Covid-19 virus is 723, down 14 patients on yesterday’s declared figure, with 38 patients in ICU, the latter being a rise of 6 on yesterday’s number. Just 7 days previously, there were 655 patients with the virus in our hospital wards.

People are being encouraged to attend at central vaccination clinics, and note, booster vaccine will also be available from your local GPs and pharmacies.

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