Pressure continues to mount on local public hospital services due to the rising Covid-19 case numbers and outbreaks of the infection in a number of wards.
Fifty patients with the highly transmissible virus were treated at University Hospital Galway on Monday night with three patients requiring medical attention at its intensive care unit.
There are currently three wards dedicated to treating patients with the illness while a further six wards have areas dealing with outbreaks.
High attendances at the hospital’s emergency department are putting a further strain on bed capacity at the west’s biggest hospital resulting in long delays for patients. A total of 254 attendances were recorded at its A&E department on Monday.
“The number of patients with Covid-19 being treated in hospital and the number of people who need to be admitted from the emergency department is having a significant impact on bed capacity and as a result patients are currently experiencing significant delays,” a spokesperson for the Saolta University Health Care Group which runs the local public hospitals in the west and north-west said this week.
There were 38 patients waiting on trolleys on Tuesday morning for beds to become available on a ward. The hospital acknowledged that these delays are very difficult for patients and their families and apologised for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause.
The spokesperson said every effort is being made to discharge patients who are ready to go home so that beds become available for patients who need to be admitted, at the earliest opportunity.
“The hospital is postponing non-urgent elective procedures due to a lack of bed capacity and prioritising urgent, time sensitive cases. Patients are being contacted directly if their procedure is being postponed. The situation is being kept under review.
“Outpatient appointments and day case procedures are proceeding as usual and people should come to their appointments unless advised otherwise. However, anyone who has symptoms of Covid-19 or is a contact of someone with Covid-19 should not come to their appointment and should reschedule by contacting the number on their appointment letter.”
Due to both the number of patients with Covid-19 being treated at the hospital and the number of areas with outbreaks, access for visitors remains restricted. Visiting to the affected wards is limited to compassionate grounds only and these visits should be arranged in advance with the nurse manager on the ward.
“Visiting to all other wards in both University Hospital Galway and Merlin Park University Hospital is restricted to one visit daily from 6pm to 7pm. Visitor access is limited to one family member/ nominated person per patient per day and all visits must be pre-arranged. To arrange a visit, contact the relevant ward or unit in advance. Visitors are requested to keep the time they spend in the hospital as short as possible.
“The nominated support person/visitor must complete a Covid-19 screening checklist and follow the public health guidance, including wearing a FFP2 surgical face mask [when requested] or surgical face mask and performing good hand hygiene regularly.”
Children should not visit the hospital at this time unless agreed in advance, on compassionate grounds, with the ward manager.
There are separate arrangements in place for access to the maternity department for nominated support partners, in line with national guidance.
