UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick are reminding members of the public that strict visiting restrictions remain in place as they continue to manage an outbreak of Covid-19 that is currently affecting five inpatient wards.
Earlier this month, visiting restrictions were extended to all inpatient wards and this effective ban on all routine inpatient visiting remains in place as a precautionary measure. Restrictions on visits to the Emergency Department, Acute Surgical Assessment Unit, and Acute Medical Assessment Unit at UHL also remain in force.
UHL say they regret any inconvenience or distress these restrictions are causing for patients and their loved ones. The outbreak control team is reviewing the situation daily and these measures must remain in place for now in the interests of patient safety and keeping essential services open for all patients.
They wish to reassure patients and their loved ones that all appropriate infection control precautions are being followed to minimise the risk of spreading infection among staff and patients within their health facilities, and also within the wider community.
The only exceptions to the visiting ban are as follows:
* Parents visiting children in hospital
* People assisting confused patients (eg dementia) (on a case-by-case basis)
* Compassionate grounds eg for patients who are critically unwell or at end of life (on a case-by-case basis)
“All these exemptions are limited to one person per patient only. In cases where these exemptions apply, we strongly recommend that members of the public are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before visiting UHL to minimise any risks to our patients and to visitors themselves.
“UHL are also appealing to members of the public not to visit their relatives/loved ones in the hospital reception or outdoors on the grounds of the hospital as this can also present a Covid-19 transmission risk.
“The hospital continues to deal with high volumes of patients attending its Emergency Department, a pattern that has been sustained over a number of months and is being replicated around the country. In addition, there has been an increased demand on services due to Covid-19.Today there are 49 Covid-positive inpatients in UHL of whom nine are in critical care,” said a UHLG spokesperson.
Noreen Spillane, Chief Operations Officer, UL Hospitals Group, said: “The level of Covid activity is now the highest it has been since the peak of January 2021. We also continue to see a surge in non-Covid patients presenting to our Emergency Department. We are now reminding members of the public to please abide by our visiting restrictions, difficult as they are, so that we can reduce footfall and the risk of transmission of Covid-19.”
