Health

Scheduled activity at UL Hospitals Group deferred due to near record overcrowding

University Hospital Limerick on Monday was the most overcrowded nationally with 143 patients on trolleys in the emergency department and on wards

University Hospital Limerick. Its emergency department remains open but 'anyone who comes to ED who doesn’t have a life-threatening or severe illness or injury will face a significant wait'

David Raleigh
Mon Mar 4 2024 - 19:39

The UL Hospitals Group said on Monday it had deferred scheduled activity across all of its hospital sites due to near record overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

The hospital on Monday was the most overcrowded nationally with 143 patients on trolleys in the emergency department and on wards, according to figures released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

The group said it had put UHL at its “highest state of escalation” and was providing “surge capacity across our hospitals”. The group is responsible for patients attending UHL, Ennis General Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, University Maternity Hospital Limerick, St John’s Limerick and Croom Orthopeadic Hospital.

“Scheduled activity across all sites has been deferred for tomorrow (Tuesday) and will remain under review, with only urgent and time-critical patients, including cancer patients, going ahead,” it said.

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It advised the public that while the UHL emergency department remained open “anyone who comes to ED who doesn’t have a life-threatening or severe illness or injury will face a significant wait”.

“Urgent care is being delivered to those who need it most,” it added.

On February 7th last a record 150 patients were counted on trolleys at UHL.

There were 539 admitted patients waiting for beds across hospitals nationally on Monday morning, according to the count by the INMO, which has repeatedly said the overcrowding situation in hospitals is dangerous and a threat to patient safety.

The UL Hospitals Group has repeatedly apologised for long wait times for patients seeking to be seen by a doctor.

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