Limerck is a city situated on Ireland. It is not a very big city, however it counts with an important set of hospital systems. Hospitals like the University Hospital Limerick, the Limerick Hospital and the University Maternity Hospital Limerick are among the most important ones. At these hospitals you will find treatments for health issues such as cancer and major surgery. They are model four hospitals, which mean they should be able to provide excellent attention even those regarding patients who enter throughout emergency.
However, even though these hospitals are supposedly to bring the best quality in health services, this year there have been several medical negligence complaints about the attention patients have been receiving at these hospitals. As a matter of fact, a report suggests Limerick hospitals face €140m costs across 14 claims. One of the main complaints is the overcrowded patient areas. As a matter of fact, some patients have been complaining about how the waiting rooms are even bigger than the patient’s one.
Also, many patients have been cranky about the way they’ve been treated by the staff at the hospital. In many cases, they have been confronted by misdiagnosis or even the lost of exam results, which means in some cases they have to repeat the whole process of medical exams. The bad treat and short staffing is a general complaint patients have been having at Limerick Hospitals.
The most recurrent and difficult complaint is regarding the long waiting times patients have to suffer to get attention and a final diagnosis. A man relates his wife arrived the urgency area at 8:20pm but was attended by a doctor at 3 in the morning. She was ordered some blood tests and had to wait for three more hours for the results. Then, they returned at nine in the morning and had to wait until four in the afternoon for a doctor to see them.
Until now, they have had spend more than twelve hours between then waiting room and the blood test area just to get a doctor see them. However, while they were waiting, the so a patient get in escorted who was seen by a doctor right away. It was not until the next day (three days now) they got a radiographer to take her a scan but they had to wait again for a doctor to read results. The hospital told them to wait for a phone call with exam results but they never got them.
Claims like this, regarding medical negligence, are still pending at Limericks Hospitals. Due to the fact patients have not get any response about their claims, the case has turn critic. The hospitals are facing a huge penalty due to the complaints. The most difficult ones are regarding maternity issues; due to the fact is one of the hospital who has received more claims from patients so far. Over all, the service the hospital system is providing is not enough for patients needs and the growing population of Limerick.