Eleven hospital consultants in Letterkenny have called for an external review into emergency care at Letterkenny University Hospital.
The consultants have written to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly warning that the hospital risks service collapse if action is not taken on the current crisis in the ED.
The letter echoes the concerns expressed by 78 GPs in Donegal, who also wrote to the Minister with grave concerns for patients at the overcrowded emergency department.
In the latest warning, consultants say they consider Letterkenny Hospital to be “in crisis and rapidly approaching a tipping point beyond which failed recruitment of medical and surgical specialists will lead to a failure of on-call rosters”.
“Such a scenario would inevitably lead to service curtailment and raise the possibility of service collapse,” the medics warned.
The consultants highlighted several issues at the hospital, with the predominant problem being a lack of resources.
Letterkenny ED is one of the largest in Ireland with almost 150 patient presentations per day, around 50 of whom are admitted.
ED waiting times, the most visible sign of a hospital in distress, have deteriorated quite dramatically since 2020.
Only 52% of patients are seen in the LUH ED within 6 hours of presentation. The target is 95%. Around 27% of patients are currently experiencing a wait time in excess of 9 hours.
The consultants’ letter listed ten further issues that they want the review team to examine, including the sustainability of medical and surgical services, facilities and staffing levels in the ED, access to Community Hospital beds for step-down, and recruitment of medical and surgical sub-specialties given the size of LUH.
The letter to Minister Donnelly, issued on Friday, was signed by consultants Jack Collins, Jakub Hlasny, Louise Moran, Paul O’Connor, Santosh David, Toni Shaju, Robin Singaroyan, Chris Steele, Michael Sugrue, Joe Thomas and Saquib Zeeshan.
‘Our patients are at risk of death’ – Donegal GPs voice grave fears over LUH emergency department
