Donegal patients and visitors: Emergency Department in Sligo University Hospital is extremely busy with long delays

Sligo University Hospital is advising Donegal people who use the hospital and are presenting to the Emergency Department, that it is currently experiencing long waiting times on trolleys before being admitted to a bed on a ward.

The high number of people attending who need to be admitted for ongoing treatment means that there is pressure on bed availability and this is resulting in significant delays being experienced by patients in the Emergency Department who are waiting for a bed to become available on a ward. As of 2pm today there are 54 patients waiting on trolleys.

In addition the hospital continues to be impacted by Covid-19. As of 8pm last night there were 53 patients with Covid-19 being treated in the hospital.

The hospital acknowledges that these delays are very difficult for patients and their families and apologises for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause.

The hospital is committed to treating everyone who presents at the Emergency Department; people who are seriously injured or ill are assessed and treated as a priority and those who do not require urgent care may be waiting longer. If your health problem is not an emergency you should contact your GP during normal surgery hours or GP out of hours service, in the first instance.

Visiting the hospital

The hospital is currently dealing with Covid-19 outbreaks impacting a number of wards. Visiting to the affected wards will be facilitated on compassionate grounds, on an exceptional basis only.