As University Hospital Limerick struggled to cope with a record 92 patients on trolleys, 33 beds lay empty nearby, it has been claimed.
Senator Kieran O’Donnell said the extra capacity was available on Monday at St John’s Hospital – just 4km away.
The Fine Gael representative, who lost his Dail seat in the 2016 General Election, said he understood up to 18 beds were still vacant in St John’s at 5pm.
He added: “When you consider the total bed capacity in St John’s is 89, this possibility of up to 33 available hospital beds is beyond comprehension.”
Mr O’Donnell said the “completely unacceptable” situation called into question bed management strategy. He added: “I have spoken directly with the Minister for Health Simon Harris on this critical matter”
The revelation came after Mr O’Donnell’s discovery on December 9 that 15 beds had not been in use at St John’s for the previous three months.
In emails sent on Monday night to HSE chief operations officer Anne O’Connor and national director of HSE acute operations Liam Woods, Mr O’Donnell sought “an immediate explanation as to why up to 33 beds were vacant at St John’s Hospital on Monday, January 6, at 9.30am when we have an ongoing bed capacity crisis at UHL”. He called on the HSE to “maximise the use of current resources across the UL Hospitals Group which includes UHL, St John’s, Croom, Nenagh [Co Tipperary] and Ennis [Co Clare]”.
And he added: “In addition UL Hospitals management must make full use of available nursing home bed capacity in the region to further ease pressure on overcrowding in UHL.”
Mr O’Donnell said he found it “difficult to fathom” how 33 beds lay idle at St John’s while UHL was in the middle of a bed capacity crisis.
He added he was notified last month a submission to fund a multi-disciplinary team to be based in St John’s had been sent by the UL Hospitals Group for Mr Woods’ approval.
This is to include a consultant geriatrician, a registrar and a senior house officer.
He said: “It is my understanding when this funding is made available, this multi-disciplinary team could be put in place within one week.”
Mr O’Donnell has written to Mr Woods seeking the funding “be made available with immediate effect considering the need for urgent action in terms of overcrowding and bed capacity in Limerick and the Mid-West region”.
The HSE and UL Hospitals Group has been asked for comment.
