Letterkenny University Hospital 'extremely' busy today

Letterkenny University Hospital is under significant pressure today with high attendances and long waiting times.  

Yesterday there were 111 attendances in the Emergency Department. There are currently 22 patients on trolleys awaiting admission to in-patient beds.

The situation is being exacerbated by ongoing high numbers of Covid presentations with five wards in outbreak.

A Saolta spokesperson said: “The high number of people attending who need to be admitted for ongoing treatment means that there is pressure on bed availability. 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.

“The situation is being exacerbated by ongoing high numbers of Covid presentations with five wards in outbreak.”

The hospital is reviewing all elective procedures given the pressure on the site and patients will be contacted directly if their procedure is postponed.

“All available beds 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,” the statement said.

“The hospital acknowledges that these delays and postponements 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.”

People are asked to only attend the Emergency Department at the hospital if it is an emergency situation.

“We ask that people attend their GP or out of hours service in the first instance if at all possible,” the spokesperson added.