BY KATE HEANEY AN elderly patient with tumours in their liver and bones was left to sit on a chair in Letterkenny University Hospital for eight hours before being admitted, the latest meeting of Regional Health Forum West has heard. Newly appointed Regional Health Forum West member Cllr Gary Doherty combined three questions at Tuesday’s meeting seeking […]
Neurology Consultants for LUH welcomed
PLANS to appoint two neurological consultants between Letterkenny University Hospital and Sligo University Hospital have been welcomed. The announcement was welcomed by Councillor Gerry McMonagle at the Regional Health Forum, West meeting in Galway on Tuesday. Cllr McMonagle had pointed out in his question tabled to the Forum that “with over 46 per cent of the […]
Surge measures implemented more than 200 times in LUH
by Darragh Bermingham SURGE protocol measures, introduced when hospitals are experiencing high emergency activity, were implemented 242 times at Letterkenny University Hospital during a 15 month period. According to the HSE Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) Operational Plan, published in July last year, surge measures respond to and mitigate patient safety risks associated with high UEC activity […]
LUH ambulance turnaround times improve
by Kate Heaney AMBULANCE turnaround times at Letterkenny University Hospital have come down since September, the latest meeting of Regional Health Forum West was this week told. Letterkenny councillor Gerry McMonagle tabled a question to the meeting asking for a breakdown of how many ambulances crews are based in Donegal in any 24- hour period and […]
Letterkenny Town Bus Service public consultation to open
THE National Transport Authority (NTA) will launch a public consultation for a Letterkenny Town Bus Service on Wednesday. The NTA proposes to invest in Letterkenny by securing provision for a network of local urban-style bus services to operate for 17 hours a day Monday to Saturday, with a slightly shorter operating day on Sundays. Under proposal, buses […]
LUH patients waiting among longest for surgery bed
PATIENTS at Letterkenny University Hospital are among those experiencing the lengthiest delays for an overnight hospital bed for surgery. That’s according to the publication of new outpatient attendance data. The Department of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE) have started publishing league tables revealing waiting times for surgery and outpatient appointments. Advertisement The data […]
The National Inpatient Experience Survey is now underway in Letterkenny University Hospital
THE sixth National Inpatient Experience Survey is now underway in Letterkenny University Hospital. This annual survey — the largest of its kind in Ireland — offers patients the opportunity to share their experiences of healthcare and tell us what is working well and what improvements they believe are necessary. This provides a clear picture of […]
Senior clinician at Letterkenny hospital witnessed ‘subtle bullying’
A SENIOR clinician at Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) told an internal meeting he had witnessed ‘subtle bullying” at the hospital. Consultant General Surgeon Mr Kenneth Oaikhinan, Associate Clinical Director of the Perioperative Directorate, made his comments at a meeting of the hospital executive board last July, the Medical Independent (Mindo), Ireland’s only investigative medical news website […]
Visiting neurology service in LUH ‘inadequate’
“People living with neurological conditions feel invisible, we’re being denied our basic right to access to healthcare.”
Will lifting of recruitment freeze benefit LUH?
by Louise Doyle SEVEN months after Health Minister Stephen Donnelly vowed reform and a greater recruitment focus in Letterkenny University Hospital, the HSE has given the green light to hire more staff following a hiring freeze. This week the HSE gave the go-ahead to start hiring more than 2,200 staff following a recruitment freeze. Advertisement Minister Donnelly […]