There’s been a near-record high of 69 patients on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick today.
The figure is more than double that of any other hospital in Ireland, according to the INMO.
The hospital has been battling an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug in recent days.
Clare FM’s Gavin Grace reports:
The INMO’s daily trolleywatch statistics, published in the last hour, states there were 69 patients on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick this morning.
It’s among the highest ever figures reported by nurses at Dooradoyle and comes on a day when the next busiest hospital in the country, Cork University Hospital, has 30.
In Limerick, 47 of those patients are in the hospital’s Emergency Department while the remaining 22 are in overflow areas of wards.
Clare FM has sought comment from the UL Hospitals Group, and is awaiting a response, but today’s figure marks an escalation of an already busy period at the region’s main hospital.
Visitor restrictions have had to be put in place, following an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug.
Meanwhile, in an effort to east the pressure, patients have been urged to attend the local injuries unit in Ennis, or their GP or out of hours GP service if they do not require treatment in the Emergency Department itself.
