A report published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has outlined serious patient safety concerns at University Hospital Kerry (UHK) in Tralee following an unannounced two-day inspection conducted in February 2026. The health watchdog evaluated the hospital against nine national standards for safe healthcare and found it was not fully compliant with any, recording non-compliance in one standard designed to protect patients from harm, partial compliance in six, and substantial compliance in two.

Inspectors identified severe overcrowding and operational pressure in the hospital's emergency department. Admitted emergency patients experienced average wait times exceeding 25 hours from the decision to admit until securing an inpatient bed. On the days of the inspection, 14 admitted patients had been waiting more than 24 hours for a ward bed, including two individuals over the age of 75. Additionally, 19 patients whose hospital care had concluded remained admitted due to a lack of available post-acute or community care placement options.

The report raised critical concerns regarding the monitoring and clinical documentation of deteriorating patients, particularly those presenting with sepsis or risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). HIQA noted that UHK was trending higher than comparable hospitals for VTE occurrences and flagged outdated policies for deteriorating patient care. Staff training records reviewed during the inspection showed that only 42% of nurses had completed mandatory sepsis training, while 54% had completed basic life-support training. Hospital-wide staffing deficits were significant, with nearly 180 full-time equivalent positions vacant, including almost one in five consultant posts.

HIQA also highlighted compliance issues in emergency department arrangements for pediatric patients and infection control. Inspectors observed an adult patient accommodated in a dedicated children's bay adjacent to a child and noted that the pediatric area was periodically left without dedicated nursing staff while personnel performed other essential duties. Furthermore, the hospital was found to lack sufficient isolation facilities to segregate patients with infectious conditions within the required 24-hour timeframe.

Despite the identified deficiencies, HIQA reported positive feedback from patients who praised hospital staff as attentive, kind, and professional. In response to the report, HSE South West stated that UHK has undertaken a comprehensive improvement programme since the February inspection to enhance clinical governance, patient safety, and operational flow. Interim Head of Service Olivia O'Rahilly acknowledged the report's findings while stating that staff have demonstrated strong commitment and that recent progress reflects a substantially improved environment at the facility.