The UL Hospitals Group is asking patients with less urgent healthcare needs to consider all options before attending the Emergency Department at the region’s main hospital.
It comes as trolley numbers have spiraled at University Hospital Limerick today, with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation reporting 124 on trolleys during morning rounds, the second highest number ever recorded at any hospital in the country.
The UL Hospitals Group is warning the region’s main hospital is in a high state of escalation, following 269 ED attendances yesterday and 276 on Monday.
It’s also warning people whose healthcare needs are less than acute will face long waits in Emergency Department as teams work to priorities elderly patients and those in need of immediate emergency care and hospital management are apologising to all patients experiencing long waits for an inpatient bed at this very busy time.
They say they’re working to the Group’s Escalation Framework in a continued effort to create surge capacity and maximise inpatient beds across the group’s sites, and balance the high demand for emergency care with the safe delivery of time-critical and other elective activity.
Additional ward rounding is ongoing so that appropriate patients can be discharged or transferred to Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s Hospital, while staff are also working closely with HSE Mid West Community Healthcare, in order to further expedite suitable discharges home, or to community care beds.
Anyone with a serious injury or unexpected illness is encouraged to attend the ED or call 999 or 112, but those who are less than acutely unwell are being asked to first consider the Injury Unit at Ennis General, as well as GPs, out-of-hours GP services and local pharmacies.
