There have been “significant reductions” in scheduled care in hospitals across the midwest due to “high volumes of patients” in the emergency department (ED) at University Hospital Limerick.
The executive management team of the UL Hospitals Group held a meeting with the HSE regional executive officer Sandra Broderick on Wednesday due to demand for emergency care “adversely affecting wait times and patient experience”.
At the meeting, a number of measures were agreed to de-escalate the UHL site, reduce wait times and improve patient flow.
As a result, elective inpatient and day surgery, endoscopy and outpatient appointments have been deferred until further notice at UHL, Ennis Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, St John’s Hospital and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital.
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Services at University Maternity Hospital Limerick continue as normal and patients there are advised to attend for their appointments.
In a statement, the hospital group said: “We regret the impact this decision will have on patients waiting for surgery, appointments and investigations; and all affected patients are being contacted directly by hospital staff.”
“These appointments will be rescheduled as soon as possible. In line with our escalation plan, we are currently prioritising care for our sickest patients and we sincerely regret the significant reduction in services across our hospitals,” it added.
The ED at UHL will remain open 24/7 for emergency cases and emergency and trauma surgery is continuing. Injury units and medical assessment units at Ennis, Nenagh, and St John’s hospitals are all operating as normal.
The hospital group urged those with the most serious illnesses and injuries to continue attending the ED, such as suspected heart attacks and strokes.
Sandra Broderick, regional executive officer, HSE Mid West, said the additional measures agreed to de-escalate our main hospital site at UHL are “being taken in the interests of patient care across the region and to prioritise those who are the most acutely unwell”.
“Additional surge capacity has been opened at hospitals across the region to manage the current demand for unscheduled care. To further increase capacity, we have also taken the decision today to defer patients scheduled for surgery and for outpatient appointments,” she said.
“These deferrals in care are being kept under review by senior clinicians and the management team. We understand that this is very difficult for patients who have in some cases already faced long waits for their appointments.”
UHL is consistently under pressure, and is typically the most over-crowded hospital in the State. The health safety watchdog has warned in recent years about the impact this was having on patient safety.
Earlier this year, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced a review was being conducted to ascertain whether a second ED was required in the region, due to “ongoing pressures” at UHL.
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