More than 30 patients with respiratory illnesses, including flu, Covid-19, and RSV are being treated at University Hospital Galway which is under significant pressure this week due to high attendances at its emergency department. An outbreak of Covid-19 in one ward is putting further stress on the already overburdened system.
Visiting is limited in wards affected by outbreaks and visitors to all other areas of the hospital are asked to be mindful of public health advice. They are required to use hand gel regularly and face masks are also available in a bid to protect vulnerable patients and prevent the spread of infection.
The emergency department was "extremely busy" earlier this week and people are being advised that those who attend it for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience very long waiting times.
This week has seen very high attendances at the ED. A total of 235 patients attended the department on Monday and more than 100 patients presented to it in the first half of Tuesday. Many of these patients were acutely unwell and had complex needs which required admission. This puts pressure on bed availability, according to the hospital.
Chris Kane, the manager of Galway University Hospitals (UHG and Merlin Park Hospital ) said UHG is under "significant pressure" with all available beds in use. "We apologise to any patient who is waiting a long time to be treated and we are doing everything we can to optimise the flow of patients through the hospital.
"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."
The hospital spokesperson acknowledged that long waiting times are very difficult for patients and their families and said every effort is being made to discharge patients who are ready to go home so that beds will become available for those who require admission.
The hospital is committed to treating everyone who presents at the ED, she said. 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.
The Roscommon Injury Unit is also open from 8am to 8pm to treat a range of injuries in both adults and children over five years of age.
A spokesperson for the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO ) said her union predicted that trolley numbers would be high in a number of hospitals this week. There were 56 people on trolleys at UHG's emergency department on Tuesday and 17 others were waiting in wards for beds to become available.
She said hospitals must now make it their focus to "de-escalate" the number of patients being admitted on trolleys. The aim has to be to reduce the number of patients on trolleys across the hospital. We are seeing a worrying increase in the number of patients on trolleys across wards. Patient and nurse safety and wellbeing must be a priority.
“We are calling for the immediate cessation of all non-urgent elective procedures. We know anecdotally from our members that some hospitals are still allowing procedures to be carried out despite huge numbers of patients on trolleys in hospitals. This is not acceptable."
