'Extremely busy' at Mayo University Hospital today

MAYO University Hospital continues to be extremely busy today (Tuesday), with resulting pressure on bed availability in the hospital.

It is impacting on the turnaround of ambulances, which are being delayed at the emergency department.

The hospital is currently treating a large number of Covid-19 positive patients. At 8 p.m. yesterday evening there were 91 patients in MUH with the virus.

The hospital issued the following statement this afternoon:

'Patients are currently experiencing long waiting times to be admitted from the Emergency Department to an acute bed in the hospital. We know these delays are very difficult for our patients and their families and we are sorry for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause.

'The limited bed availability across the hospital, particularly in the Covid-19 stream, has meant that some ambulances have been delayed being released from the Emergency Department at the hospital. We are working hard to ensure that ambulance turn-around times are kept to a minimum.

'The hospital is also managing a number of outbreaks on different wards and this is having a significant impact. The hospital is continuously reviewing its staffing rosters with a view to maximising the number of beds available for patients.

'Again we would like to remind the public that we encourage them to attend the Emergency Department (ED) only in the case of real emergencies. If your health problem is not an emergency you should contact your GP during normal surgery hours or the Westdoc GP Out of Hours Service, in the first instance.

'We are committed to treating everyone who presents at our ED but we do so strictly in order of medical priority and apologise for the long wait times.

'We would ask that patients wait in the ED alone to help the hospital maintain social distancing. A companion will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances. We know this is very difficult but we need to do this to minimise everybody’s risk of infection and to keep everyone safe. We remind patients to please wear a face covering/mask when in the ED.

'We would like to thank our staff for their work and commitment to providing safe care to our patients at this time.'