Latest news with #UHL
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Leicester hospital staff to be charged to use Hopper bus
A bus service to hospital sites in Leicester will no longer be completely free for staff, health bosses have Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) says from 25 August a Hospital Hopper single adult fare from a non-UHL site – currently free for trust staff – will instead cost them £ Union described the charge as a "pay cut by stealth" and has launched a campaign to reverse its Stanhope from UHL said the trust was "committed" to making sure the bus service was "financially sustainable". The Hospital Hopper service connects Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield Hospital with other stops throughout the city. Impact 'recognised' The trust added a single adult fare from a UHL site would remain free for staff and there would be no changes to Hopper fares for the Clarke, from GMB Union, said: "This charge discriminates against lower-paid and multi-site NHS workers the hardest and it will have the effect of encouraging more car use."UHL said the introduction of a subsidised charge was to ensure the service remained free for staff travelling between hospital Stanhope added: "This decision was taken after careful consideration and we recognise the impact it will have on some of our colleagues."These measures will keep the cost as low as possible for them while allowing UHL to continue to maintain this important service going forward."
Irish Daily Mirror
02-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish soldier admits 'one punch' affray that left dad of one with brain injury
A serving Irish soldier has been bailed for sentencing after he admitted delivering 'one-punch' to a man who fell to the ground striking his head leaving him with a traumatic brain injury. Father of three, Alan Costello, (37), Shantraud Woods, Killaloe, Co Clare, told Gardai he was 'sorry' and 'ashamed' of his behaviour on the night, Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard. Mr Costello, who has served almost 20 years in the Defence Forces, pleaded guilty to one count of affray, during which he punched the late Timmy Cosgrave, (51), during a row in February 2022. Mr Cosgrave, a father of one from Annacotty, Co Limerick, who ran his own haulage firm, died following an unrelated illness in Tenerife almost two years later, on January 10, 2024. The court heard that the two men got into a 'heated' row at the Chicken Hut fast-food restaurant, Limerick City, after Mr Cosgrave appeared to have skipped past Mr Costello in a queue for food inside the premises, in the early hours of February 20, 2022. Mr Cosgrave, who was intoxicated, beckoned Mr Costello to meet him outside the premises, and after both men went outside Mr Costello punched Mr Cosgrave and he fell backwards, striking the back of his head off the ground, the court heard. Prosecuting barrister, John O'Sullivan said: 'It is the Prosecution's case that Alan Costello administered one punch to Mr Cosgrave.' Following his arrest almost a month later on March 13, 2022, Mr Costello told gardai he had not been aware Mr Cosgrave had sustained a serious brain injury in the incident. Mr Costello told gardai that after punching Mr Cosgrave, he walked back to the scene to check on him but he could not find him there and so he left. Sergeant Cathal O'Sullivan, Limerick, played CCTV from inside and outside the Chicken Hut which he said showed the two men 'squaring up' to one another before Mr Costello removed his coat and punched Mr Cosgrave. Although the actual punch was not captured on CCTV Sgt O'Sullivan said Gardai were satisfied 'it was one blow'. Gardai said they found Mr Cosgrave in an 'intoxicated' and 'incoherent' state, and he was bleeding from his head, having earlier lost consciousness at the scene. Mr Cosgrave was transferred from the scene by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick, where he was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury consistent with the events of the night. He had sustained hemorrhages, contusions, and fractures of his left temple. His condition deteriorated, and after he began suffering seizures, he was treated in the Intensive Care Unit and high Dependency Unit at UHL where he was an inpatient for almost a month. Mr Cosgrave was eventually transferred from UHL to the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dublin, where he was an inpatient from August 29 - October 14, 2022. Mr Cosgrave underwent a battery of occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, after suffering difficulties with language skills and swallowing. He suffered reduced strength and sensation in his limbs, persistent and significant fatigue, as well as emotional difficulties linked to his brain injury. Mr Cosgrave's family told the court that Mr Costello 'took away Timmy's independence' when he punched him as well as his 'passion' for trucks and his haulage company which he had established in 2015, 'which were his pride and joy'. Mr Cosgrave's family said after Mr Cosgrave was 'devastated' after doctors told him in 2023 he could no longer drive, nor perform mechanical checks on hs fleet of trucks 'after he developed epilepsy, and lost strength in his arms'. 'It affected him mentally and physically. It was a huge disruption to his business and everyday life. 'Timmy was a proud family man, animal lover and hard worker, but after the incident he was a different man, he became a distant person, he changed dramatically,' they said. Mr Costello's barrister, Yvonne Quinn, told the court Mr Costello had no previous convictions, that he did not target Mr Cosgrave on the night nor did he instigate the row with Mr Cosgrave. Sergeant O'Sullivan agreed that Mr Costello was 'deeply ashamed and genuinely remorseful', that he 'fully co-operated' with the garda investiagtion, and that he did not have a history of violence. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week Ms Quinn asked the court to take into consideration the definition of 'affray' whereby, she said, 'two or more persons use or threaten to use violence', and in that, Mr Cosgrave 'was the other party' on the night. 'Yes, the accused had a choice, and yes, he should have walked away - he was wrong. In the moment Mr Costello should have exercised more restraint, he knows that now.' Ms Quinn provided the court with a letter of apology penned by Mr Costello to Mr Cosgrave's family. Judge Colin Daly said he would pass sentence on October 9. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the Irish Defence Forces replied: 'The Defence Forces do not comment on individual cases and as this is still before the court it is inappropriate to comment further.'
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Plans to extend above Leicester Royal Infirmary building submitted
Plans have been lodged for a new facility at Leicester Royal Infirmary to increase the production of cancer Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) NHS Trust has submitted an application to Leicester City Council seeking permission to extend the Osbourne building to accommodate a new aseptic pharmacy. According to the NHS, pharmacy aseptic services provide sterile controlled environments for the preparation of injectable medicines. Planning documents state the hospital's current treatment preparation facilities "cannot meet the increasing demands on the service" and do not have "the capacity to participate in clinical trials". The proposal is to create a new floor above the single storey Osbourne building to house the aseptic to documents submitted by UHL, the demand for cancer service appointments at the trust is increasing faster than the national average. The papers state: "As cancer diagnoses are increasing year on year, this new facility will allow for an increase in production of treatments, satisfying the demands now and as they increase in the future."
BreakingNews.ie
26-06-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Investment leads to drastically different productivity changes across hospitals
University Hospital Limerick (UHL) has seen the highest productivity increase since before Covid-19, according to a new analysis of HSE data. The Department of Health has launched a new dashboard which examines productivity improvements compared to increases in expenditure and staffing. Advertisement Officials have designed a 'composite activity output' which is a high-level illustration of aggregated, cumulative activity in each hospital setting and is based on the costs of delivering inpatient, day case, outpatient and emergency department care. It can be used to distil years-long increases in productivity across different types of care into a single figure to allow for comparisons against workforce and expenditure increases. Officials said it showed that some hospitals are 'notably better' at converting their input into activity, adding that they wish to determine the reasons for that. The data shows that UHL was the hospital with the most productivity change between 2019 and 2024, at up 36 per cent – although the boost followed some of the highest levels of increased investment. Advertisement On roughly the same percentage workforce and expenditure increases as UHL, University Hospital Waterford was only able to translate that investment into a 17 per cent increase of productivity, less than half that of the top-performing hospital. Still, UH Waterford was the fourth-highest performing hospital on metric of productivity increases, behind UHL, Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, and Tallaght University Hospital. The worst performing hospitals were St Vincent's University Hospital and St James' Hospital with roughly 3 per cent productivity increases, followed by MRH Portlaoise – on just 0.19 per cent. This was with a 42 per cent increase in expenditure and 21 per cent increase in workforce. Advertisement While MRH Portlaoise was towards the lower end of the scale when it came to increases on expenditure and whole-time equivalents, it still under performed against other hospitals with similar support. On even lower percentage increases on those metrics, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital vastly outperformed Portlaoise with a 13.51 per cent increase in productivity. Elsewhere, the data also examines the number of appointments taken by consultants at hospitals across the country and compares that to a 2016 baseline. Nationally, the appointment-per-consultant stood at 1,686 in 2016 but has declined to 1,216 in 2024 – despite the number of whole-time equivalent consultants increasing by 70 per cent in that period. Advertisement The Department of Health says it means that consultants across the country could have 40% more appointments last year if they had been operating at the same productivity in 2016. The two worst performing hospitals under this metric are CHI at Tallaght and Croom Orthopedic Hospital. CHI at Tallaght had 16,390 appointments last year but the Department estimates it could have 2.7 times as many based on 2016 levels of productivity. The data also estimates that Croom could have more than tripled its 8,950 appointments last year by the same calculation. Advertisement MRH Portlaoise, CHI at Tallaght and Croom Orthopedic Hospital have been contacted for comment.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Births at St Mary's Birth Centre paused for 'up to six months'
Births at a baby unit in Leicestershire will be temporarily halted from next month."Long-standing challenges" at the St Mary's Birth Centre, in Melton, have "worsened in recent months", University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) NHS Trust said on include difficulties in achieving "safe" staffing levels, with about 30% of the team "unavailable due to maternity leave, sickness, or planned absences", a spokesperson said. The trust said it would be pausing births and in-patient postnatal care at the centre from 7 July. 'Difficult but necessary' The spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service there was "appropriate staffing in place" to maintain services until pause is expected to last for "up to" six months while work is carried out to determine next steps. Staff at the unit - where 1% of births in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland take place - will be redeployed during this time. Community antenatal and non-inpatient postnatal services, such as infant feeding support, in Melton will continue 21 individuals and families who have booked or expressed interest in using the centre after 7 July have been contacted, the spokesperson added. Julie Hogg, chief nurse at UHL, said: "Pausing births and in-patient care at St Mary's Birth Centre is a difficult but necessary step. "The decision is no reflection of the commitment and care offered by the St Mary's team. "We have appropriate staffing in place to keep these services running until 7 July, when the pause will come into effect."Last year, 92 births occurred at the unit, compared to 9,331 across the Leicester Royal Infirmary and Leicester General Hospital, UHL added.
