The emergency department at University Hospital Kerry has reached crisis point with under pressure staff confirming that they are experiencing “absolutely unprecedented levels of presentation” in recent days.
A hospital spokesperson said there is extreme strain on physical capacity within the department itself and on bed capacity for those who require admission.
“Our focus and priority is to ensure patient safety in the department and throughout the hospital,” the facility said in a statement issued to KillarneyToday.com.
At 10.00am on Wednesday there were 28 patients in the accident and emergency unit awaiting beds, a further 59 awaiting review and over 200 in-patients requiring care throughout the hospital.
The hospital confirmed that there were patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 “across a number of wards” and the situation was further compounded by a Norovirus winter-vomiting bug outbreak on three wards.
“To ensure all patients receive the highest standards of care, mitigation measures are underway with a daily review of the situation,” the spokesperson said.
Given the prevailing status of the hospital, management and staff have asked patients to only attend the emergency department in the event of an emergency and, where appropriate, contact a GP the SouthDoc out-of-hours service or a pharmacy.
“In the first instance and explore all other options available prior to presenting to the emergency department,” the hospital pleaded.
Those that do present with an emergency have been advised to anticipate lengthy delays.
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