The UL Hospitals Group is urging the public to explore all alternatives before attending the Emergency Department this bank holiday weekend.
The region’s main hospital remains the most overcrowded in the country today, with 73 patients on trolleys this morning, according to INMO figures.
It’s more than two and a half times the number of patients waiting for beds at the next busiest facility.
Midwest Community Healthcare & the UL Hospitals Group are taking a number of pre-emptive measures ahead of an expected surge in presentations to the Emergency Department over the June Bank Holiday period.
Additional staff and allied health professionals have been rostered across a number of disciplines to ensure patient flow and access is maximised across the long weekend.
While an increased complement of triage staff will support efforts to reduce time between presentation and discharge.
In the event of unforeseen circumstances members of the public who require care are being advised to firstly contact their GP out-of-hours, services or local chemists.
Additional MAU referral slots have been made available to GPs for the bank holiday weekend while Local Injury and Medical Assessment Units at Ennis, Nenagh & St. John’s will be operating as normal from 8AM to 8PM.
However any members of the public who feels their condition is life threatening are being encouraged to call 999 or attend the ED where their treatment will be prioritised.