Saolta says the Emergency Department (ED) at Letterkenny University Hospital has been extremely busy over the past few days with high numbers of people attending. Yesterday saw 195 attendances at the Emergency Department with 186 attending on Tuesday, May 2nd.
These high attendances are continuing. As of 3pm today Thursday May 4th there have been 122 attendances to the Emergency Department. Many of the attendances are patients who are very sick and need to be admitted to the hospital for treatment. There is ongoing pressure on bed availability in the hospital and many patients are currently experiencing long waiting times to be admitted from the ED to an acute bed in the hospital.
The hospital is also dealing with significant increase in COVID-19 presentations and admissions. There are currently 19 Covid positive patients being treated at LUH with two wards in outbreak.
The statement adds “We are committed to treating everyone who presents at our ED but we do so strictly in order of medical priority. The hospital acknowledges that these delays are very difficult for patients and their families and apologises for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause”.
Saolta say they continue to request that people consider other options for non-emergency care such as Out of Hours GP and pharmacies before attending an ED.
