A norovirus outbreak has been reported in a ward of Letterkenny Unversity Hospital this week.
Visiting is restricted to the ward and only permitted in special cases and only if agreed in advance with the ward manager.
The hospital has been described as “extremely busy” with some elective procedures postponed due to pressures on site.
Yesterday saw 186 people attending the Emergency Department and the hospital is seeing a similar number today. As of this afternoon, there were 113 patients in the Emergency Department with 23 patients waiting to be admitted.
“Due to the pressures on the site and the lack of bed capacity, the hospital is postponing some elective procedures. Urgent, time sensitive cases are being prioritised. Patients are being contacted directly if their procedure is being postponed,” said a statement from Saolta.
The hospital is advising that patients who attend ED for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience very long waiting times.
“All available beds in the hospital are in use. Patients are facing long waiting times to be admitted from the Emergency Department to a bed on a ward. 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 statement said.
“As always, people who do require emergency care are encouraged to attend EDs where they will be prioritised.
“The hospital acknowledges that these delays 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.
“All visitors to the hospital will be required to practice good hand hygiene and use hand gel regularly, face masks are available for use throughout the hospital.”
