Over 2,000 patients opted to leave without treatment from Sligo Hospital last year

2,371 people “didnt wait to se be seen” at Sligo University Hospital (SUH)Emergency Department from February 1 2022 to February 1, 2023.

SUH has predicted it needs to increase its bed capacity by 77 by 2030. Manorhamilton Independent Councillor Felim Gurn posed a question about bed capacity at the hospital at the Regional Health Forum with the HSE last week.

The Saolta Group replied that they have completed a Demand and Capacity Analysis for Sligo Letterkenny, mayo and Portinucula hospitals. Before Covid the hospital had 354 beds and this capacity excluding covid beds should jump to 431 over the next seven years.

Saolta reported that they continue to progress with additional capacity across the group including an additional 42 bed block development in SUH  which is expected to commence construction this year and be completed by 2025.

Work has commenced on a SAR for a larger Surgical/Theatre/ED block. The 26 bedded unit in St John’s is also going to be progressed in the coming years to provide additional capacity. Other projects are at varying stages of capital development which include a second CT  Renal Dialysis Unit Expansion,CSSD Upgrade, Opthalmic Injection Suite and Theatre. 

Sligo University Hospital projects awaiting National Capital approval include  Cardiology CT Scanning Suite, new Renal Dialysis Unit, expansion of Day Oncology / Day Services,  ICT infrastructure upgrade and expansion of Microbiology Lab.

This news came as figures showed 2,371 people “didnt wait to be seen” at Sligo Emergency Department from February 1 2022 to February 1, 2023. Sligo was also the fifth most overcrowded hospital in Ireland last month, figures from the Nurses and Midwives Organisations indicated 528 were withoutbeds in the hospital during the month of February.