Editorial: Concerted efforts are needed to address problems at University Hospital Limerick

An inspection also revealed a crucial emergency medicine early-warning system had not been implemented. This is vital for the recognition and response to patients who may be deteriorating.

The heartbreaking consequences of problems at UHL have come to public attention far too frequently.

The chain of accountability and explanations for consistent failures need urgent attention.

With any tolerance of the unacceptable, there is a risk of normalising what appears to be indefensible.

Taoiseach Simon Harris and Health Minister Steph­en Donnelly need to act. Public trust now turns on eliminating the causes of these grave concerns.

Confidence in the health service depends on people believing in it. The flow of such troubling evidence is undermining. Patients rely on outcomes – not blind faith.

A little over a week ago, a doctor wept as she told the inquest into the death of Aoife Johnston (16) of how, before the teenager died, the emergency department of UHL was “not a safe environment” for patients. She also said she was trying to manage 191 patients on her own. Nurses were “overwhelmed”.

“Every inch of the floor space” was taken up by patients on trolleys when Aoife presented on December 17, 2022, she said.

The coroner highlighted systemic failures, missed opportunities and communication breakdowns. No family should have to endure such an ordeal. But this latest report will amplify doubts and raise news fears.

Hiqa found that the time it takes patients to be seen and treated still falls “significantly short” of national targets. Once again, the healthcare watchdog noted overcrowding on the day of inspection.

The mismatch it identified between the number of people attending the emergency department and its bed capacity mirrored an issue found in other hospitals around the country. About 80,000 patients attended its emergency department in 2022, making it the second busiest in the country. But the hospital has just 536 beds.

Noting that improvements have been made since the inspection, Hiqa nonetheless found: “The issue of ineffective patient flow has yet to be fully addressed.”

Stories of chronic overcrowding and a series of tragic deaths have put UHL under the spotlight.

Exceptional staff work at the hospital, but like too many others in the HSE, they face deficiencies and inefficiencies beyond their control.

Extra staff have been allocated and there are att­empts to improve outcomes. However, unless there are adequate beds, theatre spaces, doctors and nurses to meet demand, patients will continue to suffer and the people of the region will continue to be let down.