Tallaght University Hospital is asking the public to ‘consider alternatives’ before attending the Emergency Department as they cope with extremely high numbers of attendees.
The south Dublin hospital has activated its Full Capacity Protocol in response to an influx of patients over recent days, and is warning of long wait times for new ED admissions.
In a statement released on Thursday, a spokesperson said there is a shortage of beds, and with the high rates of admission at the moment, the hospital is under pressure.
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It says it is “working continuously to free beds for admitted patients, but there is a clear underlying requirement to develop additional onsite bed capacity given our growing and ageing population.”
They went on to say, “We are committed to treating everyone who presents to our ED however we do so strictly in order of medical priority.
“Given the volume of patients currently lengthythe Emergency Department, we regret there are lengthy delays and long wait times for those who do not need urgent treatment.”
In response to the current situation, the public are being asked to consider alternative care options before attending the ED “as unfortunately people with less urgent complaints will experience long wait times.”
The statement concluded: “The Hospital regrets any delay a patient of any age experiences whilst waiting in our Emergency Department, patients are prioritised according to clinical need. We thank the public for their cooperation in this regard.”
Tallaght hospital is currently waiting for sign off on an external strategic analysis review, which was submitted to the HSE, so they can move to the next stage in the process of developing a new 72 single bed facility at the Hospital to cope with additional capacity requirements.
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