The level of overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick is almost double that of the next busiest facility in the country today.
The Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation recorded 106 patients at the Doordadoyle facility during this mornings round with 55 of those presenting at the emergency department.
The overall figures is 51 more than the next busiest facility; Galway University Hospital, on a day when 594 patients were waiting for hospital beds nationwide.
The UL Hospitals Group has warned that the ED continues to experience high levels of demand.
During the month of April, there were 227 daily attendances on average, compared with the 195 recorded in 2019, the last full year prior to the pandemic.
Hospital staff experienced four particularly busy days over the long Bank Holiday weekend, with 276 patients attending last Friday, followed by 195 on Saturday, 184 on Sunday, 199 on the bank holiday Monday and 264 on Tuesday.
With UHL and all hospitals in the Group also caring for high numbers of inpatients, hospital management has continued working to their escalation plan to create surge capacity and maximise numbers of inpatient beds.
Additional ward rounding continues in UHL to identify appropriate patients for discharge or transfer Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s Hospital, while work is ongoing with HSE Mid West Community Healthcare to further expedite suitable discharges home or to community care beds.
The UL Hospitals Group has apologised to all impacted patients and says they’re doing everything possible to maximise patient flow and minimise wait times.
They’re reminding the public to continue considering all available healthcare alternatives to ED, such as your GP, GP out of hours service and pharmacy, as long waits in the department are inevitable for patients with less than urgent conditions.
