17 waiting on a bed in Letterkenny University Hospital

Letterkenny University Hospital is still struggling to cope with the influx of patients over the past week, as 17 people were waiting for a bed yesterday evening.

According to the INMO, 14 people were on trolleys, and 3 were waiting on the wards.

Nationally, 317 were waiting on a bed, 253 of which were waiting on trolleys.

This follows a statement issued by management of Letterkenny University Hospital appealing for patients to only go to the Emergency Department if their case is a genuine emergency.

A spokesman for Saolta apologised to patients and their families for the delays.

“The Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital remains very busy this afternoon, with significant numbers of patients awaiting admission to the hospital. We apologise to patients and their families for these delays.

“The Full Capacity Protocol has been implemented and all efforts continue to be made to identify patients who are appropriate for discharge. We have also deferred some non urgent elective procedures. We apologise to patients for the distress this deferral may cause.”