Operations cancelled as Letterkenny University Hospital experiences admission delays

Surgical procedures have been cancelled at Letterkenny University Hospital today as patients waited to be admitted.

Management said significant numbers of patients were waiting for admission on Tuesday afternoon.

The hospital has cancelled some surgical procedures and called on the public only to attend the emergency department “in the case of real emergencies”.

Figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) put the number of patients awaiting admission to the hospital at 11 on Tuesday morning.

Management said the hospital had been very busy “with significant numbers of patients awaiting admission to the hospital”.

The hospital apologised to patients and their families for the delays.

“The Full Capacity Protocol has been implemented and all efforts continue to be made to identify patients who are appropriate for discharge,” hospital management said.

“We have also deferred some non urgent elective procedures. We apologise to patients for the distress this deferral may cause.

“Management at the hospital would like to again advise people who are attending the emergency department at Letterkenny University Hospital that they can expect delays. We would like to remind the public that we encourage them to attend the emergency department only in the case of real emergencies and they should contact their GP or GP Out-of-Hours service in the first instance.”