Surges in those presenting at A&E, early onset of winter illnesses and the fact that more people in Mayo are living longer, accounts for Mayo University Hospital having had to issue a stream of public notices in recent times advising people to avoid turning up at the Emergency Department unless absolutely necessary.
However, ongoing events such as the recent Bank Holiday Weekend also impact hospital services, MUH General Manager Catherine Donohoe told the Mayo Advertiser this week, adding that while a notice on Tuesday last advised that the hospital remained under significant pressure with high attendances and all available beds in use - by Wednesday, the situation was already much improved, as staff returned from the three-day weekend break.
As the HSE apologised to members of the public for the distress and delays caused as a result of the capacity issues at the hospital, the MUH Manager explained: "We are getting surges in Emergency Department presentation and there is a capacity issue and we would always have bed problems. As a result there is overcrowding because there is increased activity in hospital and more patients than we have beds for."
Ms Donohoe added that early occurrence of typical winter illnesses is also impacting services. "This year we have had winter illnesses all through August. We have 12 identified cases with covid at the moment, but covid isn't the main reason for their being in hospital."
Despite constant challenges to the provision of public health services at the hospital, the Manager remains confident that staff will not become overwhelmed as they rise to meet each crisis. At the same time, she said ongoing proactive measures are being taken to remedy emergency situations as quickly as possible - while seeking to sustain long-term effective healthcare provision.
