The Emergency Department (ED) at University Hospital Limerick is again appealing to the public to use other alternatives for healthcare if possible.
The Emergency Department is dealing with high volumes of patients on consecutive days.
Daily attendances at the ED have average 252 over the last six days compared to an average of 210 daily attendances last year.
Hospital Management says many of these patients are frail elderly patients and other patients with complex care needs.
People with less urgent care needs are advised to expect long delays at the ED. As part of the response to the overcrowding, management say they are carrying out additional ward rounds, fast tracking discharges and trying to identify patients that might be suitable for transfer to Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s hospitals.
Any person that is seriously ill or injured or worried that their life is in danger should attend the ED where they will be treated as a priority.
Less acutely unwell patients are asked to first consider using an Injury Units – in Cashel, Nenagh, St Johns Limerick or Ennis. Consideration should also be given to visiting a GP, using the out-of-hours GP services and pharmacists before attending ED.
Injury Units in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s are operating as normal. Opening hours for Ennis and Nenagh Injury Units are 8am -8pm and St John’s Injury Unit 8am-7pm.
Cashel Injuries Unit operates from 8.30am and 5pm. For full contacts for the units, and the services available there, please see: https://www2.hse.ie/services/injury-units/https://www2.hse.ie/services/injury-units/
