University Hospital Limerick (UHL) remains very busy today managing a high number of patients presenting at our Emergency Department (ED) and the public are being asked to consider all available healthcare options to avoid long waits for assessment in the ED for less urgent cases.
UL Hospitals Group is warning that long waits for treatment in ED are inevitable for less urgent cases while day surgery in Ennis Hospital has been cancelled today.
In a statement, ULHG confirmed that a total of 246 patients presented to the Emergency Department yesterday, following a busy weekend when UHL and our other sites were busy managing a high number of inpatients, many of whom are very sick.
Unfortunately, we have had to cancel day surgery at Ennis Hospital today (Tuesday) in order to create additional capacity for medical patients, and impacted patients are being contacted directly by the hospital. We apologise to any patient affected, and will work to ensure they are rescheduled at the earliest opportunity.
Elective activity is continuing on all our other sites today, and the Group’s hospital management team (HMT) is keeping the situation under review on a day to day basis.
Cancellations of elective activity are provided for in the Group’s Escalation Plan, and while the decision is deeply regretted, it is necessary in the interests of patient safety.
Meanwhile, our medical teams are also undertaking additional ward rounds to identify patients suitable for transfer to Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s Hospitals. We continue to work closely with our colleagues in HSE Mid West Community Healthcare in order to expedite discharges.
Anyone presenting to ED today with a less urgent condition is going to face a long wait for care. We urge the public to consider all available healthcare alternatives to ED.
Less acutely unwell patients are asked to first consider our Injury Units, GPs, out-of-hours GP services and pharmacists before attending ED.
Injury Units in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s are operating as normal. Opening hours for Ennis and Nenagh Injury Units are 8am -8pm and St John’s Injury Unit 8am-7pm. For full contacts for the units, and the services available there, please see: https://www2.hse.ie/services/injury-units/
We apologise to every patient who is currently experiencing a long wait for admission at UHL, and for the inconvenience and frustration this causes for patients’ loved ones,” the statement said.