The hospital is seeing a significant increase in Covid-19 positive admissions and attendances, while also dealing with high volumes of non-Covid patients.

There are 84 patients with Covid-19 being treated in the hospital today. Currently, there are 11 wards affected by Covid-19 outbreaks.

Access to visiting continues to be limited to compassionate grounds only and these visits should be arranged in advance with the nurse manager on the ward.

In addition, the Emergency Department is very busy and people are experiencing long waiting times on trolleys before being admitted to a bed on a ward.

The ongoing pressure on bed availability has also resulted in a number of elective procedures being postponed and patients are being contacted directly if their procedure is being postponed.

The hospital acknowledges that delays in the Emergency Department and postponing procedures are very difficult for patients and their families and would like to apologise for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause.

A spokesperson for Saolta said, “The hospital is committed to treating everyone who presents at the Emergency Department; people who are seriously injured or ill are assessed and treated as a priority and those who do not require urgent care may be waiting longer.

“If your health problem is not an emergency you should contact your GP during normal surgery hours or the NoWDOC GP out of hours service, in the first instance.”

People who have outpatient or other appointments at the hospital are advised to attend their appointment unless contacted by a member of staff from the hospital and told otherwise.

People with COVID-19 symptoms should call the number on their appointment letter to rearrange their appointment.