The HSE is advising the public that services are under pressure following Storm Éowyn.
Some community services, including primary care, public health, and disability day services, are currently unavailable.
Hospital appointments are proceeding as planned, but Emergency Departments are experiencing high volumes and prioritizing patients based on medical urgency. Only attend the Emergency Department in case of a genuine emergency.
Hospital bed capacity is currently impacted by delayed discharges due to adverse weather. All available beds are occupied, and efforts are underway to safely discharge patients ready for home care.
The public is kindly requested to check on elderly or vulnerable neighbors and family members to ensure their well-being.
Statement in full:
Health Services in the West and North West are advising the public that the delivery of some community services today, Monday 27 January have been impacted by the recent storm. Many areas of across the West and North West remain without power and water today with interruptions in telecommunications networks. Many primary care, public health and disability day services are not operating across the region today. Where possible, our teams will make contact directly with those who use our day services to advise them of disruptions and all appointments will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
Within our hospital services, appointments are going ahead as planned, however the Emergency Departments are extremely busy and we are committed to treating everyone who presents at our EDs but we do so strictly in order of medical priority.
We continue to request also that people only attend the Emergency Department if it is an emergency situation.
In addition, hospital bed capacity has been affected by delayed discharges brought on by poor travel conditions in the aftermath of the adverse weather conditions. Currently all available beds in the hospitals are in use and every effort is being made to safely discharge patients who are ready to go home so that beds will become available for patients who need to be admitted, at the earliest opportunity.
We would ask that if you have neighbours or family who are older or vulnerable, to please check in on them to see if there is anything they need at this time.
We will provide regular updates on services on our webpage https://www2.hse.ie/services/disruptions/ and we will also provide regular updates through local media and on our national and regional social media channels. Families can also contact their local day service directly to get an update.
Keep up to date with @HSELive and @HSE_West_NWest on X (formerly twitter) or www.hse.ie for all the latest information regarding health services.
