Patients asked to avoid Beaumont A&E

Beaumont Hospital in Dublin has asked patients to "avoid or delay" their visit to the emergency department because of overcrowding.

The hospital says conditions are difficult as increased admission rates have placed staff under “enormous strain” in recent weeks. Earlier today, there were 49 patients on trolleys in the department, the highest figure for any hospital in the State.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation had called for the hospital to go off-call due to the severe overcrowding. It said it wrote to the Health Information and Quality Authority seeking an inspection but was told they didn't have the resources for one.

In a statement, the hospital said it regretted the extremely difficult conditions faced by patients and staff as a result of a number of factors. There are currently 98 patients occupying beds in the hospital who are fit to be discharged but for whom no accommodation is available in step-down facilities.

An increase in the medical complexity of cases and reductions in overall bed capacity have also contributed to the problem.

The hospital says ambulances are being diverted to other hospitals where this is possible.

As well as asking patients to put off coming to the department, the hospital has asked GPs not to send patients to Beaumont unless absolutely necessary. It has also asked people who can access private health facilities to use these for minor injuries and illnesses. Non-urgent admissions and surgery will be cancelled to free up additional beds.

The hospital called on the HSE to start allocating resources from the €25 million in its service plan to address delayed resources.

In total, there are 399 patients on trolleys in hospitals across the State.