Emergency Department at Sligo University Hospital is under significant pressure

The Emergency Department at Sligo University Hospital is under significant pressure today with high attendances over the bank holiday weekend and long waiting times experienced by patients. The high number of people attending who need to be admitted for ongoing treatment means that there is pressure on bed availability. This is resulting in significant delays being experienced by patients in the Emergency Department who are waiting for a bed to become available on a ward. There are currently 28 patients on trolleys in ED awaiting admission to in-patient beds and we expect to see over 150 patients through ED today in addition to those awaiting beds.

In addition, the hospital continues to be impacted by COVID-19. As of 8am this morning there were 18 patients with COVID-19 being treated in the hospital with two wards impacted by COVID-19 outbreaks. This is limiting the availability of beds for patients coming in through ED as well as those scheduled for surgery. The hospital has postponed non-urgent elective procedures given the pressure on the site and patients are being 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. The hospital is committed to treating everyone who presents at the Emergency Department; people who are seriously injured or ill are assessed and treated as a priority and those who do not require urgent care may be waiting longer. If your health problem is not an emergency you should contact your GP during normal surgery hours or the NoWDOC GP out-of-hours service, in the first instance.