MANAGEMENT at University Hospital Limerick have advised people who require non-emergency care to avoid the hospital and engage with their GP or local injury unit.
The advice was given early today as 80 patients waited on trolleys for beds at what is ranked as the country’s most overcrowded hospital.
Despite still being overcrowded, the hospital has recently experienced a significant reduction in the numbers of inpatients waiting for beds.
The UL Hospitals Group issued a statement Friday, which read: “The emergency department at University Hospital Limerick is currently very busy managing high attendances of very sick people with a variety of complex illnesses, including Covid-19.
“The public is being advised to consider all alternative care options before attending the emergency department.
“People with less urgent care needs are advised to expect long delays at the emergency department today, and to first consider our Injury Units, GPs, out-of-hours GP services and pharmacists before attending the emergency department, which continues to experience high presentations.”
“We are working to ensure that care is prioritised for the sickest patients and that it had implemented an escalation plan including additional ward rounds, accelerated discharges and identification of patients for transfer to our Model 2 hospitals.
“As of this morning at UHL, a total of 48 patients were waiting on trolleys for inpatient beds at UHL”
However figures published by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) showed 80 on trolleys including 60 in the emergency department and a further 20 on trolleys on wards at UHL.
The UL group said that minor injury clinics were open seven days a week in Ennis Hospital and Nenagh Hospital (8am to 8pm) and in St John’s Hospital, Limerick, from 8am to 7pm.
