HEALTH services across the HSE Mid West have largely resumed operating as normal after a number of days of weather-related disruptions.
We ask that patients and service users in both hospital and community settings attend for their appointments unless they hear directly from our staff and are advised otherwise.
Where hazardous conditions remain in local areas, we ask that patients do not travel to their appointments where it is unsafe for them to do so. Service users can contact their service and a new appointment will be arranged for them as soon as possible. Some local disruptions to community nursing, home support and other community services may also be experienced in the coming days as we return to normal levels of service. Dr Catherine Peters, Regional Clinical Di- rector, HSE Mid West, said: “We expect to see an increase in demand for health services over the coming days. This comes at a time when our acute hospitals are already seeing an in-crease in trauma cases associated with the winter conditions as well as a surge in influenza, with almost one in every 10 inpatient beds in UHL currently occupied by flu patients.”
“We are grateful to the Defence Forces and to all of the voluntary agencies who assisted with transporting staff and in ensuring patients continued to access time-critical appointments, including dialysis and cancer treatments, during the worst of the weather conditions. As we return to normal, we are appealing to members of the public to choose the right care option
and ensure that the Emergency Department is kept for the most seriously injured or unwell patients who need it most. For medical emergencies, please attend the ED,” Dr Peters said.
If you are unwell you should consider all available healthcare options, including local pharmacies, your GP, or the out-of-hours GP service. Many GP practices in the Mid West are offering extended opening hours. Please contact your GP to check availability and services near you. Injury Units are open in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s Hospitals from 8am to 8pm, every day.
Injury Units can treat broken bones, dislocations, sprains, strains, wounds, scalds and minor burns.
Medical Assessment Units located in Ennis and Nenagh Hospital have recently expanded their operations to 16 hours a day, 8am to 12 midnight, seven days a week. They provide a direct referral pathway for GPs to secure prompt assessment and treatment of medical patients. Patients who attend our Injury Units and MAUs have considerably shorter turn-around times compared to patients who attend our Emergency Department.
The Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick remains open 24-7 for patients with the most serious illnesses and injuries, including life-threatening emergencies. Anyone attending the ED with a less urgent condition may face long waiting times as the hospital continues to manage high attendances. With flu continuing to circulate at high lev- els, face masks are now mandatory in UHL. Everyone attending or visiting UHL is asked to wear a face mask for the duration of their stay and these are widely available throughout the hospital.
In all other acute hospitals in our region (Ennis, Nenagh, St John’s and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital) and all residential facilities we are urging visitors to please wear a face mask to protect themselves, our patients and staff from the risk of infection. Please be vigilant and wash your hands and use hand gel regularly.
