NEW UNIT'S 96 BEDS BUT STILL PRESSURE IS ON

'More capacity still needed for Limerick area'

- BY CIARA O'LOUGHLIN

A NEW 96-bed unit was opened at University Hospital Limerick yesterday as locals have been screaming for more capacity for years.

The hospital provides the only 24-hour emergency department for Limerick, Clare and north Tipperary and consistently has the highest number of people on trolleys awaiting care.

A new block on the Dooradoyle campus was opened by Health Minister Jennifer Caroll MacNeill yesterday. It consists of four wards and 24 beds, which will require 400 additional staff.

A recruitment drive is currently in progress to fill all rolls for the wards.