The UL Hospital Group has announced record high attendances at the emergency department (ED) at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) over the last number of days.
The unusually high number of patients admitted to UHL, which serves North Tipperary, Ennis, and Clare, is largely due to patients suffering from respiratory infections such as COVID, flu, and RSV.
A number of measures have been taken as a means of addressing the situation, including the opening of additional surge beds in Nenagh, Ennis, and St. John’s Hospital.
All outpatient appointments for UHL are cancelled for tomorrow, Tuesday, January 3rd, and only urgent elective surgery will go ahead at the hospital over the next number of days.
Injury Units in Ennis, Nenagh, and St. John’s will remain operational as normal.
The Ennis and Nenagh Injury Units are open from 8 am to 8 pm, and the St. John’s Injury Unit is open from 8 am to 7 pm.
The UL Hospital Group has stated that anyone presenting to UHL ED today with a less urgent condition is going to face an exceptionally long wait for care, and are urging the public to consider all available healthcare alternatives to ED.
