Planned surgeries at UHL group hospitals postponed for second day
The hospital group says UHL is currently at its "highest state of escalation" with surge capacity opened at all other hospitals in the group. File Brian Arthur/ Press22.
Planned surgeries at five hospitals across the UL Hospital group have been postponed for a second consecutive day today.
Elective procedures at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), Ennis Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, Croom Orthopaedic Hospital, and St John's Hospital have been postponed. The group says elective procedure activity is being "reviewed on a daily basis across all of our hospitals".
It also said UHL is currently at its "highest state of escalation" with surge capacity opened at all other hospitals in the group.
In a statement, the group said the emergency department (ED) at UHL is dealing with "very high levels of activity" and has asked people to consider all other care options before attending.
According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), there were 115 patients without beds at UHL as of 8am on Tuesday morning - 51 at its ED and 64 elsewhere in the hospital.
On Monday, there were 143 patients without a bed at the hospital, the second-highest total ever recorded there.
Over the past week, there have been an average of 240 presentations at UHL's ED, a higher average than the 219 daily presentations the hospital experienced during 2023, which was the hospital's busiest year on record.
The Emergency Department remains open 24/7 and urgent care is being delivered to those who need it most," a spokesperson for the UL hospitals group said.
"Anyone who comes to ED who doesnât have a life-threatening or severe illness or injury will face a significant wait.
"We apologise to anyone who has had a long wait for admission to University Hospital Limerick in recent days. We thank the public for their patience and support at this time of exceptionally high demand for our services."
