Letterkenny University Hospital has announced the opening of a Discharge Lounge in the hospital this week.
The new area can facilitate 16 patients per day who are discharged from the wards and who will now go to a comfortable seated area while waiting to be collected to go home.
The area has been refurbished and is staffed with a Clinical Nurse Manager and Health Care Assistant.
The Lead for this Unit is Andrea Kelly, ED Assistant Director of Nursing for Patient Flow.
Dr Anne Drake, Director for Nursing, Quality and Patient Safety at the hospital, welcomed the move.
“The opening of the new Discharge Lounge will improve the safety and quality of patient care, particularly for those patients waiting for beds in our Emergency Department and Acute Medical Assessment Unit and patients being discharged from our care in Letterkenny University Hospital. This should ultimately decrease waiting times for patients on trollies in the Emergency Department and Acute Medical Assessment Unit.”
The new Discharge Lounge will allow patients to be collected by their relatives or friends from the old ED exit, meaning they do not need to go into the paid parking area of the hospital grounds, which will also make it easier for the patients to leave the hospital.
The new Discharge Lounge has also been welcomed by Seán Murphy, Hospital Manager.
He said “I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Discharge Lounge Group and all nursing, clinical and supporting staff who have worked very hard over the last 2 months to ensure we open the Unit as quickly as possible and as an integral part of our Winter Surge Plan. I also look forward to the positive impact it will have for patients and staff alike”.