Busy weekend expected at UHL Emergency Department

Photo courtesy of HSE

People in North Tipp are being encouraged to use alternatives to the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick if at all possible this Bank Holiday weekend.

Patients who have presented at the ED in UHL for care and treatment this year include a significant number of people who are seen, treated and discharged without requiring hospital admission.

Dr Damien Ryan is an Emergency Medicine Consultant at UL Hospital Group and also lead of the Injury Unit at Nenagh Hospital.

He says if you or someone else is seriously ill or needs urgent emergency care do not delay going to ED at University Hospital Limerick or dialling 999/112 for help.

However if it’s not as urgent Dr Ryan says there are alternatives.

“The Emergency Department in University Hospital Limerick has seen unprecedented demand over the last number of weeks.

“That means that we have to prioritise our sickest patients – as we would always do – the downside of that is that people with less severe injury or illness will have longer wait times for assessment and the provision of care.

“So we would strongly urge people where they have more minor symptoms or injury to consider attending their General Practitioner first or one of the out-of-hours services like ShannonDoc.

Dr Ryan says the Minor Injury Units in the UL Group are also an option.

“We have injury units in Nenagh, Ennis and St John’s Hospitals which are well set up to provide care for minor injuries such as sprains, fractures, wounds, burns etc to allcomers over the age of 5.”