University Hospital Limerick Emergency Department managing high attendances

UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick have warned that they are managing an "extremely" high number of sick patients presenting at their Emergency Department on Tuesday. 

The University of Limerick Hospitals Group confirmed that they have had to cancel all but the most time-critical elective surgery at the hospital on Wednesday. The group apologised to all patients impacted by this decision, who are being contacted directly by hospital staff this afternoon. 

They are asking the public to consider all available healthcare options this afternoon to help them avoid long waits for assessment in the ED.

In the 24 hours between 8am on Monday and Tuesday morning, a total of 278 people attended the ED, among them significant numbers of children and of frail elderly patients with complex health conditions.

Health funding bid to help Limerick hospital

Elective activity is continuing across the other sites tomorrow, and the Hospital Management Team (HMT) is keeping the situation under constant review.

Management and staff in UHL continue to work to their Escalation Plan to create surge capacity, and medical teams have been undertaking additional ward rounds to identify patients suitable for transfer to Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s Hospitals. 

Anyone presenting to ED on Tuesday with a less than urgent condition is going to face a lengthy wait for care. 

Less acutely unwell patients are asked to first consider Injury Units, GPs, out-of-hours GP services and pharmacists before attending ED.

Injury Units in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s are operating as normal.