People urged to 'consider other options for non-emergency care' as Letterkenny University Hospital experiences high attendance

May 1 saw 195 attendances at the Emergency Department with 186 attending on Tuesday, May 2.

These high attendances are continuing. As of 3pm today Thursday, May 4, there have been 122 attendances to the Emergency Department.

Saolta said that many of the attendances are patients who are very sick and need to be admitted to the hospital for treatment.

"There is ongoing pressure on bed availability in the hospital and we regret that many patients are currently experiencing long waiting times to be admitted from the ED to an acute bed in the hospital.

“The hospital is also dealing with significant increase in COVID-19 presentations and admissions."

There are currently 19 Covid positive patients being treated at LUH with two wards in outbreak.

"We are committed to treating everyone who presents at our ED but we do so strictly in order of medical priority.

The hospital acknowledges that these delays are very difficult for patients and their families and apologises for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause. We continue to request that people consider other options for non-emergency care such as Out of Hours GP and pharmacies before attending an ED.”