No end in sight for Letterkenny Hospital bed trolley crisis as elective procedures cancelled

On the day that the 2022 overcrowding record was broken for patients waiting on trolleys in the country, Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) ranked third in the list of the country’s most overcrowded hospitals. 

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said today they had recorded the highest number of patients on trolleys in 2022.

669 people including 28 children were without a bed today, with LUH ranked third in the list along with St James’s Hospital in Dublin. 51 patients were waiting on trolley beds this morning at LUH. 

Separately, the Saolta Healthcare Group confirmed that the Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital is under significant pressure today with high attendances and long waiting times. 

Yesterday 145 people attended the Emergency Department.

Significant delays were being experienced by patients in the Emergency Department who are waiting for a bed to become available on a ward. 

There are currently 29 patients on trolleys in ED awaiting admission to in-patient beds.

As of 8am this morning there were 21 patients with Covid-19 being treated in the hospital with three wards impacted by Covid-19 outbreaks. This is limiting the availability of beds for patients coming in through ED.

In a statement Saolta confirmed that the hospital has postponed elective procedures given the pressure on the site and patients have been contacted directly:

“All available beds are in use. 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 hospital acknowledges that these delays and postponements are very difficult for patients and their families and apologises for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause.”

On the wider issues pertaining to hospital overcrowding Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said:

It is extremely concerning but not surprising that we have 669 patients on trolleys today. We have seen a 27% increase of patients on trolleys in the last week. 

“A range of measures must be taken now in the short to medium term including the curtailment of all non-emergency, elective care. Capacity from the private sector must be provided immediately. There needs to be a laser focus on the recruitment and retention of nurses and midwives.

“Hospitals must issue public statements encouraging people to consider alternative care pathways in the community and outline clearly what the real time waits to be admitted to hospital are.

“We are now calling on the Health Service Executive, Minister for Health and the Health and Safety Authority to take immediate action in the worst hit spots. “The health and safety of our members and the patients they are trying their best to care for must take priority. We know that they are currently operating in truly unsafe care environments.”