Some elective surgeries are being cancelled at Letterkenny University Hospital because of overcrowding as a result of emergency waiting times and Covid issues.
A statement from Saolta has been issued a short time ago asking people to stay away form the hospital unless it is an emergency.
The Emergency Department (ED) at Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) is extremely busy with long wait times in the Emergency Department.
Over the last 7 days 1015 people have attended the Emergency Department.
In addition the hospital is dealing with a significant increase in COVID-19 presentations and admissions with 14 Covid positive patients being treated at LUH.
A spokesperson for the hospital said “Due to the pressures on the site and the lack of bed capacity, the hospital is postponing some elective procedures.
“Urgent, time sensitive cases are being prioritised. Patients are being contacted directly if their procedure is being postponed.
“The high number of people attending who need to be admitted for ongoing treatment means that there is pressure on bed availability.
“This is resulting in significant delays being experienced by patients in the Emergency Department who are waiting for a bed to become available on a ward. As of this morning there are 11 patients on trolleys awaiting admission to in-patient beds.
“All available beds in the hospital are in use. 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.”
The spokesperson added that they are committed to treating everyone who presents at our ED but do so strictly in order of medical priority.
They added “The hospital acknowledges that these delays are very difficult for patients and their families and apologises for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause.
“We continue to request that people only attend the Emergency Department at the hospital if it is an emergency situation. We ask that people attend their GP or out of hours service in the first instance if at all possible.”
All visitors to the hospital will be required to practice good hand hygiene and use hand gel regularly, face masks are available for use throughout the hospital.