Patients face long wait times as 'very busy' Letterkenny hospital under strain

Letterkenny University Hospital is under strain again with 80 patients currently in the emergency department at the facility.

The public have been warned that patients face ‘long waiting times’ to be admitted to a bed on a ward from the emergency department.

On Thursday, 135 people attended the emergency department at LUH. On top of the 80 patients currently in ED, there are a further 15 awaiting admission and all available beds in the hospital are in use.

“Every effort is being made to discharge patients who are ready to go home so that beds will become available for patients who need to be admitted, at the earliest opportunity,” a statement from the Saolta University Health Care Group said.

“We are committed to treating everyone who presents at our ED but we do so strictly in order of medical priority. The hospital acknowledges that these delays are very difficult for patients and their families and apologises for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause.

“We continue to request that people consider other options for non-emergency care such as Out of Hours GP and pharmacies before attending an ED.”

Staff at LUH are also dealing with a Covid-19 outbreak on two wards with 15 patients positive for the virus.