PATIENTS who have medical appointments in Limerick and across the Mid West are being asked to call ahead to confirm, as some may be cancelled due to the severe snow and ice conditions across the weekend.
That’s according to a HSE Mid West spokesman who warned of “disruption to services, including the cancellation of clinic appointments” across this Monday (January 6).
And the Irish Nurses and Midwives (INMO) organisation has called for an emergency plan with 122 admitted patients on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick this morning.
There were 73 patients waiting for an in-hospital bed in the emergency department at the hospital this morning, with 48 in overflow wards.
The next highest hospital overcrowding figure was reported in Sligo, where there are 55 admitted patients in need of a bed.
There were 761 patients on trolleys across the country this Monday morning.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said that “an emergency national plan is needed to deal with the escalating overcrowding problem in part of the country”.
“It is frustrating for our members to see other parts of the public sector coming together so quickly to efficiently deal with the consequences of national weather warnings, yet they are left to deal with entirely predictable annual problems with no new solutions from their employer yet again.”
Ms Ní Sheaghdha said that the current level of hospital overcrowding, especially “when dealing with the level of flu and RSV that we have seen over the festive season, was entirely predictable but there has been no plan in place by the HSE and individual health regions to stem the worst of it”.
Meanwhile, a HSE spokesperson said that patients should only attend their appointments if they have phoned ahead to confirm they are taking place and that it is safe for them to travel.
“If patients are unable to make contact with the clinic, we will contact them directly. All cancelled appointments will be rescheduled over the coming days,” the spokesman said.
“HSE Mid West we will be reviewing all services on a day by day basis as the cold weather is expected to continue well into the coming week”.
The spokesperson said that the HSE is expecting staffing deficits due to the weather, “however planning is ongoing to ensure we are able to run as many services as possible”.
The advice is to consider all available healthcare options, including local pharmacies, GPs, or the out-of-hours GP service. Many GP practices in the Mid West are offering extended opening hours.
Injury Units are open in Ennis, Nenagh, and St John’s Hospitals from 8am to 8pm every day to treat broken bones, dislocations, sprains, strains, wounds, scalds, and minor burns.
