The UL Hospitals Group is urging people to consider all their care options before presenting at the Emergency Department at the region’s main hospital.
High volumes of patients have been attending University Hospital Limerick in recent days, and nurses say the numbers waiting on trolleys this morning were more than double that of any other hospital.
The latest figures from the INMO show 52 people were waiting for beds at University Hospital Limerick this morning, 42 of those in the Emergency Department.
the overall figure is a slight drop on yesterday’s trolley numbers, but it’s 29 more than any other hospital.
The UL Hospitals Group says there have been high volumes of patients attending in recent days, including many frail elderly patients requiring admission.
By 8am this morning, 215 patients had attended the ED over a 24 hour period.
The ED is expected to busy throughout the day today and people are being urged to consider their options before attending, including their GP or GP out of hours service or the Injury Unit at Ennis General, which is open from 8am to 8pm daily.
Patients with symptoms of COVID-19 are being asked to contact their GP by phone and not to present in person at either the emergency department or GP service.
Hospital Management say they regret that any patient has to face a long wait time for a bed and are reassuring that measures are being taken to relieve pressure on the ED.
