Letterkenny University Hospital is extremely busy today

The Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital is under significant pressure today with high attendances and long waiting times. The high number of people attending who need to be admitted for ongoing treatment means that there is pressure on bed availability. This is resulting in significant delays being experienced by patients in the Emergency Department who are waiting for a bed to become available on a ward.

There are currently a very high number of patients on trolleys in ED awaiting admission to in-patient beds. The hospital is also dealing with a significant increase in COVID-19 presentations and admissions. There are currently 28 Covid positive patients being treated at LUH with five wards in outbreak. The hospital is postponing elective procedures given the pressure on the site and patients have been contacted directly. All available beds are in use. 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 acknowledges that these delays and postponements are very difficult for patients and their families and apologises for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause. The hospital is committed to treating everyone who presents at the Emergency Department; people who are seriously injured or ill are assessed and treated as a priority and those who do not require urgent care may be waiting longer.

We continue to request that people only attend the Emergency Department at the hospital if it is an emergency situation. We ask that people attend their GP or out of hours service in the first instance if at all possible.