BREAKING: HSE considering using surge capacity in Nenagh as numbers soar in Limerick

All sites across UL Hospitals Group are very busy today due to high numbers of inpatients and extremely high numbers of sick patients presenting at ED in University Hospital Limerick.

"We’re asking the public to consider all available healthcare options this afternoon to help them avoid long waits for assessment in the ED," a spokesperson said in a statement.

In the 24 hours between 8am Monday and this Tuesday morning, a total of 278 people attended the ED, among them significant numbers of children and frail elderly patients with complex health conditions.

"Unfortunately, demand for inpatient beds is such that we have had to cancel all but the most time-critical elective surgery at UHL tomorrow (Wednesday). We apologise to all patients impacted by this decision, who are being contacted directly by hospital staff this afternoon. We will work to ensure these patients are rescheduled at the earliest opportunity," the statement said.

Elective activity is continuing across other sites tomorrow, and the Hospital Management Team (HMT) is keeping the situation under constant review.

The statement said that management and staff in UHL continue to work to theEscalation Plan to create surge capacity, and medical teams have been undertaking additional ward rounds to identify patients suitable for transfer to Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s hospitals.

"We continue to work closely with our colleagues in HSE Mid West Community Healthcare in order to expedite discharges," they said.

The spokesperson warned that anyone presenting to ED today with a less than urgent condition was going to face a lengthy wait for care and urged the public to consider all available healthcare alternatives to ED.

Less acutely unwell patients are asked to first consider Injury Units, GPs, out-of-hours GP services and pharmacists before attending ED.

Injury Units in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s are operating as normal. Opening hours for Ennis and Nenagh Injury Units are 8am -8pm and St John’s Injury Unit 8am-7pm.

For full contacts for the units, and the services available there, see: https://www2.hse.ie/services/ injury-units/