THERE were 132 admitted patients waiting for a bed in University Hospital Limerick this morning (Monday January 22), the highest number recorded at the chronically overcrowded hospital.
According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) 61 of those patients were in the emergency department on trolleys while 71 were in overflow wards and elsewhere in the hospital.
The new high comes the morning after more than 120 people marched from the Crescent Shopping Centre in Dooradoyle to the gates of UHL to protest overcrowding and conditions at the hospital.
The previous record was set on October 23 last year, when 130 were on trolleys in the emergency department (ED) and elsewhere in the hospital.
Hospital management has previously acknowledged the problems at UHL, saying that the issue comes down to bed space versus demand on the hospital services and, while building works are ongoing on two new 96-bed units at UHL, there are simply not enough beds in the acute hospital to meet demand.
Individuals, politicians, and organisations such as the Mid West Hospital Campaign have been demanding that the emergency departments in St John’s, Ennis, and Nenagh hospitals be re-opened to take pressure off the acute hospital but, as yet, there has been no move to do that.
In response to today’s record figures, a UHL spokesman told the Limerick Post that “University Hospital Limerick remains extremely busy this Monday, with attendances above average over the weekend and a high number of inpatients associated with the recent surge in winter respiratory illnesses”.
“Demand for inpatient beds is exceptionally high and includes patients waiting in our emergency department, in designated bed spaces in our assessment units and surge areas, as well as patients on trolleys on our inpatient wards.
“The level of overcrowding is far in excess of where we want to be, and we apologise to every one of our patients who faces a long wait time for an inpatient bed.
“We are following our escalation framework to maximise patient flow and create additional capacity to manage the consistently high levels of activity in the hospital. Staff are focused on ensuring that emergency care is first received by the sickest patients.”
The hospital spokesman said that management at UHL is employing ongoing measures including the opening of surge capacity across all sites; transferring patients on trolleys to inpatient wards; additional ward rounds by medical teams to expedite discharges or identify patients suitable for transfer to Ennis, Nenagh, and St John’s Hospitals; and working closely with HSE Mid West Community Healthcare in order to expedite discharges.
The spokesman added that elective activity is also being reviewed on a daily basis in UHL and across all sites.
“The Emergency Department remains open 24/7 and urgent care is being delivered to those who need it most. However, the public should please be aware that anyone attending ED who doesn’t have a life-threatening or severe illness or injury will face a significant wait,” the spokesman concluded.
