CO-LOCATION, Recruitment embargoes, and complaints from local politicians regarding facilities not up to Limerick's standard.
Just three problems that have brought the Limerick Regional Hospital to the local, and national media's attention over the past year.

But there are a group of nurses looking to turn things around.
At the moment, the Ear, Nose and Throat Department (ENT) exist on Ward 4 of the hospital, but this is only their temporary home.
Later this year, the nursing team have aspirations to install a number of 'enhancements' when they move back to their original ward 2c later this year.

Think water features, positve posters, and reflection rooms, and you're close.
At the moment, the ward is based on the fourth floor of the regional hospital, while their original home is being refurbished.
Still affectionately known as being on 'ward 2c', the 23-strong group of nurses are led by one unique woman - nurse manager, Carmel O'Sullivan.

Carmel is presiding over the overhaul in a bid to improve the lives of those patients who are in there for an extended period of time.
And when the refurbishment is complete, Carmel says plans are afoot to introduce a water feature, and a quiet room to brighten up a dull HSE ward, something which she thinks will act as an asset to both patients and staff - often stretched to the limit by demands on their time.

"I am going to have a room that has nothing in it - a very small room - and I am going to have it for nurses to go in and reflect, and have a quiet space. Sometimes we have a thousand things going on, and as a result, we are not focusing. Its to encourage you to stop, and have a meeting with yourself and rechannel," she said.

Also, Carmel plans to introduce several 'patients comforts'.
"Patient's comforts may be the reclining chair, the serene enhancing of a visual light arrangement, or a subtle water feature giving tranquillity. Vision walls of mantras and colour visualisation are hugely beneficial to recovery," she explained.

Carmel also believes that, if more emphasis is placed on healing, rather than pain, it can work wonders amongst her patients. It is an attitude she has adopted throughout her working life.

"The whole ethos (of the ward] is focusing in on the present time consciousness," she said, "We do not focus on sickness, we focus on patients recovering and give them markers to recovery. It helps them to look forward and plan for the future. As we focus on recovery, it means we do not give the same energy to disease. If you do not give something the same energy, it is not as powerful. When, at times patients are happy thinking happy thoughts, they are not actually sick, and that's what I am trying to get at."

And she hopes the new ward will represent a "home from home" for patients with serious illness, who are stuck in the ward for an extended period of time.

Indeed, to create a sense of salubrity, Carmel says: "I want to have subliminal music on at all times, and again, I need to get help to decide what is best," asking me if I thought wave sounds were appropriate.

In their quest for additions to the new ward, the nurses recently held a fundraising concert at the Augustinian Church, O'Connell Street, where almost 100 people were inside the building enjoying the dulcet tones of a Welsh choir and gospel tunes - rather than watching Munster's homecoming following their Heineken Cup win.

To help the cause, Carmel hand painted around 500 rocks, which she collected near her home on the Knockmealdown Mountains to represent several healing emotions.

Those who brought the rocks - sold in a bid for the "comfort fund" - will have messages like love, home and family on rocks across their home - patience, healing, joy and abundance

After the concert, Carmel was understandably overwhelmed.

She said: "It was lovely to meet up with our old patients. It was a difficult day to get to Limerick (referring to Munster's parade] so the fact they came was really good. The church was all bright and cheerful with everyone doing their bit. They (the artists] feel a bit humbled when you are doing something for charity, and you see the people acknowledging who have been sick, but are well again. If you have a gift, would you not want to share it?"

One of the singers at the gig, Tipperary girl Catriona Kenny, who sadly lost her father James a decade ago to cancer said: "If you are ever a patient in hospital, you feel you will do anything because the treatment in this ward is magnificent."

The concert raised more than €27,000 for the ward's 'comfort fund', and plans are in place to hold a similar event this Autumn.
"But details are scanty, so I am not going to say anything in case i do not get the venue," stated Carmel.

It is clear the nursing manager works hard - when I chatted with her, she had to duck in and duck out at times to deal with patients, and the nurses she supervises.

Despite working ten hour-plus days, and presiding over the new ward, she refuses to accept any praise.

When I venture to suggest she is "inspirational", she blushes, embarrassed by the praise, rather paying tribute to her staff, whom she holds meetings with thrice-daily.

"Everybody wants to get on and do their job, but you can only do it if you have good resources available to you, and good team spirit, and we would hope we have that here. You have to try and bring fun into the ward. We have what we call 'appreciation meetings'. We meet about three times in the day and talk about what we have done. So for example, I would say to a nurse ' I notice you were with that patient for half an hour, and they were really comfortable after. You've had a really difficult morning, but look at how well it worked out," Carmel said.

One staff nurse - Georgina Knowles, who moved to Limerick recently from Galway, has brought in hugging sessions, to ease the stress the nurses may be under.

Put simply by Georgina, "it makes people feel better."

Carmel added: "And it makes me feel better to know she cares about me, and could see I was under pressure. She can't do anything about the pressure, but she's acknowledging it.