A report into the Emergency Department of Sligo University hospital has warned that its faces significant staff and structural challenges.
Following concerns expressed by members of the INMO last year, a senior HSE official carried out an investigation into the Hospital's ED.
It's understood the HSE nursing official examined attendance at the ED in 2019 and rotas and has found that a significant campaign of staff recruitment is required.
The report is understood to recommend several dozen additional health care staff are hired in order to ease the burden at the ED which was opened over thirty years ago.
Councillor Thomas Walsh has seen the report and says some of the language used in it is very concerning :
She uses words like 'outdated' ' and the structural design has been exacerbated by I suppose the two streams which are now required at every Emergency Department due to Covid.
She talks about Sligo not reflecting current requirements for patient flow, observation or monitoring and it's an ED that opened in 1991 so I suppose that is the first issue and the second issue is the shortage of nursing staff.
You can hear Thomas' full interview here:
