‘Systems failure’ sees 38 patients stuck in beds at Letterkenny hospital

A total of 38 patients, who are medically fit to leave Letterkenny University Hospital, remain in beds this week.

Delayed discharges continue to place severe strain on services at LUH, where patients fit to leave are spending an average of 26 extra days in beds they don’t need. 

A “systems failure” has been blamed for the loss of over 6,500 hospital bed days in just six months.

This comes at a time when a total of 226 day cases were cancelled in January or February of this year due to LUH being in escalation.

These included 54 elective inpatient admission and 172 other day cases. In the whole of last year, there were a total of 295.

The latest Regional Health Forum West and North West meeting heard that the total bed days lost due to delayed discharges for the last six months is a staggering 6,548.

“That is effectively a full ward blocked off for half-a-year - and that impacts emergency department overcrowding, cancelled procedures and ambulance delays,” Councillor Gary Doherty said.

Figures released to Sinn Fein Councillor Doherty showed that there were, as of Monday of this week, 38 delayed discharge patients in Letterkenny University Hospital.

Of those, 17 are awaiting to step down to a community nursing unit, district hospital or HSE facility, while 10 are awaiting for a carer despite funding having been approved.

A further four are awaiting other rehabilitation services in a community residential setting while three are awaiting funding approval for HSP. 

Two of the delayed discharge patients are waiting to secure a care setting having been approved for NHSS funding.

One person has been Covid positive and requires discharge to a step down bed prior to discharge home while a functional assessment of the capacity of another person is underway to determine decision-making capacity relating to a specific discharge plan.

These figures, said Councillor Doherty, highlighted a “systems failure”.

He said: “It is clear that the bottlenecks are not in LUH, but it looks to be in community capacity in Donegal.

“We are often told about integration, but certainly from looking at the figuresas they are presented, it seems that the integration isn’t working in practice.”

Dermot Monaghan, the Integrated Health Area Manager for Donegal, said that it was accepted that the challenges in Letterkenny University Hospital are “significanty”.

In response to Councillor Doherty, Mr Monaghan said that every member of the discharge team is looking for opportunities, but said that some beds have been closed by HIQA while staffing reductions have also had an impact.

He said that further beds in Killybegs, Ramelton and Donegal Town could be opened in the coming weeks. 

“It is a very significant challenge,” Mr Monaghan said, adding that there had also been beds closed elsewhere in Donegal.

HSE chiefs are aiming to have some beds in the new 110-bed community nursing unit in Letterkenny opened by the end of this year.

Mr Monaghan told Councillor Doherty that they are aiming to see “a significant improvement” in the same numbers by this time next year. 

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He added that the opening of the community nursing unit would depend on recruitment and the timely handover of the building.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that there were 499 patients on day case waiting lists at LUH who received treatment under an NTPF (National Treatment Purchase Fund) outsourced initiative in 2025.