The Mid-Western Health Board yesterday rejected allegations that, due to understaffing in the intensive care unit of Limerick Regional Hospital, porters and security staff have to watch patients who require individual attention.
The statement follows allegations at an inquest on a Limerick painter, Mr Adrian McInerney (20), who died in Cork Regional Hospital in March 1997.
Mr McInerney had been transferred to Cork after apparently falling out of bed in the Limerick Regional Hospital. According to the statement, it was suggested at the inquest that "because of low staffing levels at night-time, nurses had to ask porters and security men to sit with patients".
The matron of Limerick Regional Hospital, Ms Nora Fitzpatrick, said in the same statement they were disturbed "at media reports of the inquest". Examination of hospital records showed, the matron said, that the intensive care unit was fully staffed on the night in question.
Mrs Fitzpatrick added: "Of the five patients in the ward, only two were on ventilators. We are satisfied that there was no question of a shortage of nurses and in fact the full complement of three intensive-care nurses was on duty. It is true that from time to time non-nursing staff may be called to a ward to help nurses physically cope with agitated patients. This is very much the exception rather than the rule. If the workload in the intensive care unit requires additional nurses, then these are provided." Dealing with criticism by the coroner of the health board's attitude, Mr Tom Hourigan, Limerick Regional Hospital general manager, said: "It is customary to seek the opinion of the board's legal advisers on the release of such statements.
"In this case we were advised that the release of nursing statements was inappropriate. The board acted accordingly. In the light of this experience, we are reviewing our protocol."