There are 40 patients on trolleys waiting for beds at Mayo University Hospital today, according to the latest INMO Trolley watch figures.
In a statement Saolta say that Mayo University Hospital is under significant pressure today. Over the last two days over 300 people attended the ED at MUH and the hospital is advising that patients who attend ED for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience very long waiting times.
The statement continues, “The high number of people attending who need to be admitted for ongoing treatment means that there is pressure on bed availability thoughout the hospital. This is resulting in significant delays being experienced by patients in the ED who are waiting for a bed to become available on a ward.
Given these pressures, some elective procedures which are not urgent or time critical have been deferred for today and tomorrow. Patients are being contacted directly if their procedure is to be postponed.
All available beds in the hospital are in use. Every effort is being made to discharge patients who are ready to go home so that beds will become available for patients who need to be admitted, at the earliest opportunity.
The hospital acknowledges that these delays are very difficult for patients and their families and apologises for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause. It is committed to treating everyone who presents at the Emergency Department; people who are seriously injured or ill are assessed and treated as a priority and those who do not require urgent care may be waiting longer.
Castlebar councillor Michael Kilcoyne is a member of the HSE West Forum and he says the situation is simply not acceptable for the people served by MUH.
He says despite years of promises about a new larger ED and a new block of wards at the Castlebar facility, the reality, according to HSE Management is that it will be a number of years before the new facilities are available to patients.
The Independent councillor has been speaking to Midwest News Editor Teresa O’Malley about the pressure in the ED at present, days before the start of the Summer season…
Hospital management is continuing to request that people only attend the Emergency Department at MUH if it is an emergency situation. The public should attend their GP or out of hours service in the first instance, if at all possible.
The Roscommon Injury Unit is also open from 8am to 8pm to treat a range of injuries in both adults and children over five years of age.
