Significant reductions in scheduled care are to remain in force across the UL Hospitals Group this week including Nenagh.
This is despite the standing down of the major internal incident which was declared on January 2nd.
CEO Prof Colette Cowan says the extraordinary measures taken across the UL Hospitals group and in the community have helped reduced the extreme levels of overcrowding seen early last week at the Emergency Department at UHL.
However, all of their hospitals are still operating above capacity and staff remain on high alert amid a surge of respiratory infection in the community that has not yet reached its peak.
The Hospital Crisis Management Team continues to meet twice daily seven days a week.
Day surgery at Nenagh, Ennis and St John’s hospitals remains cancelled until the end of this week as the day wards in these hospitals have been designated as surge capacity for unwell medical patients.
Outpatient appointments are going ahead as scheduled on all sites this week and patients are advised to attend.
As a temporary measure, the medical assessment units at Nenagh and St John’s hospitals have moved from a five to a seven-day week to allow for additional GP referrals for medical assessment.
Ennis Hospital MAU already operates seven days per week. Members of the public are reminded that patients cannot be seen at our MAUs without a referral.
Visiting restrictions remain in place at University Hospital Limerick.
Regional data shows that the surge in respiratory illness has not yet peaked. This week HSE Public Health Mid-West reported almost 300 cases of RSV in the past four weeks, with a noticeable increase in adult infections. Public Health also reported 968 cases of influenza in the region since December 11th , a level of flu not experienced in the Midwest for many years. COVID-19 infections are also increasing.
Injury Units in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s are operating as normal. Opening hours for Ennis and Nenagh Injury Units are 8am -8pm and St John’s Injury Unit 8am-7pm.
For full contacts for the units, and the services available there, please see: https://www2.hse.ie/services/injury-units/
