Overcrowding at Letterkenny University Hospital

A member of the Regional Health Forum West has said that those in authority need to take decisive action in relation to the issue of overcrowding at Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH).

This afternoon, the Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital remains very busy this afternoon with significant numbers of patients awaiting admission to the hospital and the 'Full Capacity Protocol' has been implemented.

A statement from the communications department, on behalf of the hospital reads: "We apologise to patients and their families for these delays."

Councillor Gerry Crawford has said that those in responsible positions within the HSE "and above" need to implement a plan when such occasions arise.

He said: "It has happened so often that a plan needs to be put in place to deal with this issue because whatever plan is in place is simply not working.

"Those in positions of authority in the HSE and above need to take decisive action."

He added that overcrowding will have a knock on other services.

"It's no good constantly apologising about this - there needs to be another solution," he said.

All efforts continue to be made at the Letterkenny hospital to identify patients who are appropriate for discharge.

Management at the hospital would like to advise people who are attending the Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital that they can expect delays.

Members of the public are being encouraged to attend the Emergency Department only in the case of real emergencies and contact their GP or GP Out-of-Hours service in the first instance.

Letterkenny University Hospital again apologises to all patients and their families for any distress caused as a result of these delays.