The Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital has reached such an extreme level of overcrowding that management have implemented Full Capacity Protocol.
As of this morning, there were 39 patients awaiting admission to LUH. Nineteen patients were waiting on trolleys while a further 20 were placed in ward overflow areas.
Full Capacity Protocol is deployed when the hospital is extremely busy and has significant numbers of patients awaiting admission. All efforts are being made to identify patients who are appropriate for discharge.
Management are advising people who are attending the Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital that they can expect delays. The public are encouraged to attend the Emergency Department only in the case of real emergencies and they should contact their GP or GP Out-of-Hours service in the first instance.
In a statement, Letterkenny University Hospital has again apologised to all patients and their families for any distress caused as a result of these delays.
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