St Luke’s General Hospital is among the most overcrowded in the country today.
There are 34 patients waiting on a bed at the local facility this morning.
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The Hospital say it’s extremely busy and is experiencing significantly high levels of activity with large numbers of people presenting to the Emergency Department (ED).
In a statement issued to KCLR News, the hospital said: “Many of those attending need to be admitted for ongoing treatment which is leading to pressure on bed availability.”
“The hospital is currently dealing with high levels of activity and patients with respiratory and serious illnesses. This is also impacting on bed capacity across the hospital. These ongoing pressures are resulting in significant delays being experienced by patients in the ED who are waiting for a bed to become available on a ward.”
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 hospital is currently advising that patients who attend its ED for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience longer waiting times. The HSE acknowledges that these delays are difficult for patients and apologises for the inconvenience delays may cause and that patients may have to wait for care during these very busy periods.
We are committed to treating everyone who presents at the Emergency Department. The ED is always available to treat seriously ill patients, and the sickest patients are seen first. It is expected this pressure will continue over the coming days and we would urge the public to consider their care options and use alternative healthcare services for treatment such as GPs, GP Out of Hours or pharmacists where appropriate.
But if patients are very sick and in an emergency situation they should come to the Emergency Department where they will be seen as quickly as possible to ensure our patients receive safe, timely and high quality-care.