UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick is still battling to deal with a surge in cases which need operating theatre time, including elderly people who fall and break bones.
Last week, the Limerick Post reported that a large increase in numbers of admitted patients waiting on trolleys for an in-hospotal bed was largely due to an increase in numbers coming to the ED and an increase in the number of beds needed for trauma patients who were awaiting surgery.
In a statment in reply to a request for an update on the situation by the Limerick Post, a spokesman said that this hospital “remains very busy due to a surge in emergency and trauma theatre cases over the past week. This upswing has continued to impact on patient flow in UHL at a time when significant numbers of unwell patients are attending the hospital’s Emergency Department.
“We are sorry that any patient admitted to our hospitals faces a long wait time for a bed. We work to ensure that all patients continue to receive expert medical care while they wait,
Between 8am last Wednesday, and 8am this Wednesday, August 8, there was a daily average attendance of 184 patients at the ED. Attendances fell over the weekend (134 on Saturday, 151 on Sunday and 145 on Bank Holiday Monday), but this was preceded by a daily attendance rate in excess of 200 last Wednesday (207), Thursday (204) and Friday (214).
Following the significant reduction in emergency presentations during the Covid-19 pandemic (levels for March and April 2020 were 144 and 154 respectively), current weekday attendances at the ED frequently surpass 200. Average daily ED presentations for 2019 were 195.
“Patients were waiting in individual bays, on beds or trolleys. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been no patients on trolleys on corridors in the hospital’s general wards.
“Having created capacity for the anticipated Covid-19 surge during March by deferring almost all elective activity, we are now gradually and carefully resuming scheduled care, prioritising care for the sickest patients first. Where patients can safely be seen virtually, this is being facilitated.
As part of the Covid precautions, non-Covid patients were diverted to the Acute Surgical Assessment Unit or Acute Medical Unit, “meaning we have effectively been operating three EDs in recent months,” the spokesman said.
As part of the drive to bring down the numbers waiting for trauma surgery, the hospital has called in theatre nurses from Ennis and other hospitals in the group so that more theatre time can be offered to patients.
As well as identifying patients who can are discharged and treated in the community by specialist teams, the hospital is using
the Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) at the University of Limerick. As as of Tuesday morning there were 28 patients being cared for in the facility. Capacity can be further increased in line with demand.
