Over 6,000 Patients Left UHL Emergency Department Before Completing Treatment Last Year

Clare FM

Over 6,000 people left University Hospital Limerick's Emergency Department last year before their treatment was complete. Newly-published HSE figures show that across 2023, 6,198 patients left the ED at the region's main hospital before completing their treatment, with just 667 returning within 30 days. The HSE says that "Emergency Departments and their associated hospitals must clinically prioritise those who must be treated first", and that "where a patient is seriously ill or injured, their needs will be prioritised above those with less serious conditions". Regional Health Forum West member and Ennis Fianna Fáil Councillor Antoinette Baker-Bashua doesn't believe it's good enough that people in Clare are being told to consider alternatives to presenting at the Emergency Department.