Additional measures continue to be rolled out in hospitals across the country to respond to the overcrowding crisis. From today ambulances in the mid west will be able to take patients that are deemed suitable to Ennis Medical Assessment Unit(MAU) rather than the ED in UHL. The measure is intended to reduce the pressure on UHL ED. People with serious life-threatening conditions will continue to be brought to the emergency department at UHL.
In addition, St John’s Limerick, MAU will operate for extended hours. Elective and scheduled day surgeries at five of the six hospitals in the UL Hospital Group are being reduced this week to free up beds at Ennis, Nenagh, St John’s in Limerick city and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital for admissions. Only time critical elective surgery will take place this week at UHL. Outpatient appointments at hospitals in the UL Hospital group will resume today.
Extra staff working this weekend delivered an increased rate of patient discharge nationally with slightly more than 400 discharges on Saturday compared with 278 on the previous weekend.
