Latest news with #JulieO'Neill
Irish Independent
17-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Warning University Hospital Kerry under pressure due to high attendance
The HSE have asked the public in Kerry to consider all care options - including GPs, pharmacists and SouthDoc out-of-hours services in a bid to reduce the current pressure at athe hospital. When there is a large volume of ED attendances, patients are prioritised in terms of clinical need and wait times for non-urgent care can be lengthy, the HSE said. Patients arriving to the ED will be clinically assessed and seen in order or priority, so those with non-urgent presentations will be waiting a long time and are advised to seek alternative treatments. UHK Hospital Manager Mary Fitzgerald said that patients should consider their attendance. "We must take care of the sickest people first so please, stop and ask yourself: 'Do I really need to attend the ED?' Our Emergency Department cares for those who are seriously ill or injured, so please consider alternative care pathways and seek assistance from other parts of the health service.' HSE Area Manager for Kerry Julie O'Neill said that the HSE need to manage the current situation. "UHK is seeing a very high level of attendances at the moment. We need to manage the pressure on the ED, so that we can we continue to prioritise those who are sickest. Those who believe they may be seriously ill and require emergency care should come to UHK, but we would ask others who are not seriously ill, to consider seeking support from pharmacists, GPs, Southdoc and the Injury Unit in Mallow.' In a statement the HSE South West said other options for patients include their local pharmacy and GP and the Local Injury Unit in Mallow. An out-of-hours GP service is also an option as well as self-care. The HSE South West also remined patients and their GP's the Urgent Virtual Care (UVC), a new regional telehealth service which allows GPs and Paramedics to consult directly by phone, or by video call, with a senior medical decision-maker in Emergency Medicine or Geriatric Medicine, is available.
Irish Examiner
08-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
HSE 'fully committed' to developing primary care centre on council-owned car park in Killarney
The HSE has said it is 'fully committed' to developing a controversial primary care centre on a council-owned car park in Killarney, despite the fact it owns 14 vacant properties in key locations across Kerry. The provision of a primary care facility on the grounds of Áras Phádraig, a council-owned site donated by the Franscicsan Friars, is part of a joint venture between the HSE and Kerry County Council. The plan was given the go ahead by councillors at a meeting of the Killarney Municipal District in April when they were told the €21m project, which includes a theatre, would not get funding approval without the HSE primary care facility. However, the project will have to be voted on again after a number of submissions from the public were omitted. Kerry County Council has apologised for the mistake, re advertised, and the matter is expected to come before the municipal district later this summer. However, existing traffic congestion on the Lewis Rd, the small size of the theatre (230 seats), its nearness to the health centre, the proposed height of the building, and the loss of parking spaces, means the project has sparked some opposition in the town. Questions have also been raised over the fact the HSE owns a number of sites and property in Killarney which are vacant or about to be vacated. St Finan's former psychiatric hospital overlooking Killarney has been empty since 2012. Labour councillor Marie Moloney told the regional health forum that: 'A lot of people believe it is the wrong place. The public don't understand why the HSE, with so much land, would need the site for a primary care centre.' In response, the HSE said it was 'fully committed' to the project. 'There has been a number of previous attempts to provide a primary care facility in Killarney, with little positive results on the same,' said Julie O'Neill, integrated healthcare manager Kerry, HSE South West. 'Both the HSE and Kerry County Council officials are of the opinion that the provision of the theatre and a primary care facility on the same site in an urban setting will be complementary to each development from a planning and sustainability view point,' she said in a written reply. Meanwhile, the full extent of the vacant property owned by the HSE in Kerry was released following a query by Sinn Féin councillor Deirdre Ferris. Some 14 HSE-owned properties are currently vacant, it has emerged. These include, town centre buildings in Tralee, at Pembroke St and Denny St; the old Dingle Hospital and Workhouse; the St Finan's hospital, land, and gate House in Killarney; health centres in Dingle, Kenmare, Ballinskelligs, Waterville, and Rathmore, as well as radio stations in Knocknagoshel in the north of the county and Clahane in the west. 'The HSE is currently working through the Land Development Agency and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP delivery and reform processes for the disposal of properties which are surplus to requirements,' Daniel Clifford, director of estates department, HSE South West, said in a written reply. They will be sold if there is no public use for them, the meeting was told. Read More Skellig Michael opening delayed again with tour guides unavailable
