THERE were 69 people waiting in the emergency department of the University Hospital Limerick this Wednesday which was the worst figure ever recorded by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s trolley watch system.
According to a hospital spokesman, there were 215 people in the emergency department at midnight on Tuesday during an “exceptionally busy” night.
Earlier this week, hospital management had issued a call for people with injuries that could be treated at one of the clinics in St John’s, Ennis or Nenagh to attend there instead.
It’s understood that an outbreak of the Winter Vomiting Bug may be playing a part in the overcrowding situation. The hospital announced earlier that visiting times would be strictly enforced because of the outbreak and advised people not to bring children to visit.
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