THE Emergency Department (ED) at Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) is extremely busy this evening with high numbers of people attending the department who need to be admitted to hospital for ongoing treatment.
Today, there have been 110 presentations to the ED with 27 patients on trolleys awaiting admission to an inpatient bed.
The hospital is advising that patients who attend ED for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience very long waiting times.
The hospital acknowledges that these delays are very difficult for patients and their families and apologises for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause.
“All available beds in the hospital are in use,” a spokesperson said.
“Patients are facing long waiting times to be admitted from the ED to a bed on a ward. Every effort is being made to 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.
“As always, people who do require emergency care are encouraged to attend EDs where they will be prioritised.
“We ask that people attend their GP or out of hours service in the first instance. As always, people who require emergency care are encouraged to attend EDs where they will be seen in order of priority.
“Unfortunately, due to bed pressures in the hospital, some elective procedure are being deferred this week. Urgent and time-sensitive procedures are being reviewed for the remainder of the week. Patients are being contacted directly if their procedure is being postponed.
“The hospital is committed to treating everyone who presents at the ED and both the hospital management team and the clinical management team are doing everything to keep the site safe for our patients.
“A new service is available in community pharmacies which enables a pharmacist to supply prescription-only medication for a number of common illnesses, without having to see a GP. In addition to expert advice and providing over the counter treatments, community pharmacists can now prescribe medicine for eight common conditions.”