LUH again apologises for long ED waiting times

Letterkenny University Hospital has again apologised for the long delays in its Emergency Department.
The latest INMO figures revealed yesterday that there were 35 people waiting to be admitted to hospitals in the North West – 12 in Letterkenny University Hospital and 23 in Sligo Regional Hospital.
LUH says the main reasons for the high attendances its Emergency Department as an increased level of complex and mixed emergency admissions as well as seasonal factors.
Measures being implemented to relieve pressure on the ED include the transfer of appropriate patients to community care settings, communication with GPs to ensure patients are referred to ED only where appropriate; extra ward rounds and postponement of non-urgent elective procedures.
Management at the Hospital are again urging people to only visit the ED in cases of real emergency, and advise people to contact their GP or GP Out-of-Hours service in the first instance.