Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Nenagh

The Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Nenagh (formerly known as Nenagh General Hospital or St. Joseph's Hospital) is a public^[1] hospital located in Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland.^[2] It is managed by the Irish Government's Health Service Executive and provides acute hospital services, including a 24-hour emergency department,^[3] for the population of County Tipperary. In 2008, the hospital served 9,976 out-patients, and 4,304 in-patients, with an average stay of 5.4 nights.^[4] 87.9% of admissions were made via the accident and emergency department.^[4]

History

Ruins of the choir of Saint John the Baptist's Priory and Hospital, founded c. 1200

The site has a tradition of caring for sick and infirm that goes back to c. 1200 when Saint John the Baptist's Priory and Hospital was founded by Theobald Butler for the Fratres Cruciferi, an order of Augustinian canons. The priory was secularized in 1541 and finally dissolved in 1551. The remaining ruins are to be found south-east of the hospital, at the graveyard close to the Neagh River, short before the Tyone Bridge. In the 19th century a poor law hospital was founded on the site which was replaced in 1938 by the current hospital.^[5]

Services

In-patient care

The hospital provides 70 beds, of which 49 are in-patient beds, while 21 are reserved for day cases.^[2] In-patient services include general medicine, general surgery, geriatric assessment, accident and emergency, intensive care/critical care and day surgery patients.^[6]

Out-patient care

General medicine, general surgery, orthopaedics, ante-natal and gynaecology, ear, nose and throat, urology, paediatrics, psychiatry and ophthalmology services are available on an out-patient basis.^[7]

Downgrading controversy

In 2009, Government plans to move certain services from Nenagh to Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick were met with protests from healthcare professionals, local residents and several local businesses including the Abbey Court Hotel and a 4,000-person public demonstration.^[8][9][10] While there would still be 24-hour access for patients referred by GPs, all surgical emergencies would be dealt with in Limerick.^[11] The changes would mean an estimated 10 extra admissions per night at the Limerick emergency department.^[12]

However, in June 2014 a new state-of-the-art operating theatre suite was opened to replace the single obsolete operating theatere. It includes two operating theatres, each with an anaesthitic room, prep room, disposal room and scrub room, a six bed first stage recovery ward with a nurses base and clean and dirty utility rooms, a ten bed second stage recovery unit (six adult and four paediatric), four bay discharge lounge, and attendant nurses base, clean & dirty utility rooms, kitchen, linen store, and toilets. Also included in the development are two constultant rooms with attendant changing rooms, and disabled toilets. Phase 2 of the project, due to be completed in the spring of 2015, will see an additional minor procedures room, offices, stores, staff room and staff changing rooms (male and female). There are also plans to build a new 18 bed ward block extension. Construction is due to start in late 2015

See also

• Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Ennis
• University Hospital Limerick

References