Spike in ambulance transfers to University Hospital Limerick

THE NUMBER of ambulance attendances to University Hospital Limerick's emergency department (ED) rose to more than 22,400 last year.

Figures presented at the HSE Mid-West's regional health forum show that between January 2019 and March this year, the ambulance service has called to the Dooradoyle facility a total of 66,824 times.

The information from JJ McGowan, the chief ambulance officer for the western region, came in response to a question from Kilkee based Clare councillor Cillian Murphy.

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Up to March this year, some 5,862 attendances were made to University Hospital Limerick (UHL), with 22,425 last year.

In 2020, a year where the Covid-19 pandemic was at its most pronounced, there were 19,010 ambulance presentations, with 19,527 in 2019.

The highest single month in terms of numbers of ambulances attending was December in 2019 (1,766) and 2020 (1,726). While last year, the busiest month was September with 2,062 presentations.