Patients treated in ambulances as Letterkenny hospital faces ‘unprecedented pressure’

Patients at Letterkenny University Hospital in Co Donegal were being treated in ambulances outside the facility on Sunday evening due to a lack of capacity in the hospital, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has said.

A surge in Covid-19 cases has resulted in increasing pressure on the hospital system in recent days, with hospitals across the country deferring elective or non-urgent procedures, as well as outpatient appointments, as a result.

As of 2pm on Sunday there were 1,452 Covid-19 patients hospitalised, of which 125 are in ICU. This means there were 100 additional Covid-19 hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

Paul Reid, chief executive of the HSE, said on Sunday that the health system was under "increasing strain".

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Neal Donohue, INMO industrial relations officer for the northwest, said there was "unprecedented pressure" on Letterkenny hospital on Sunday evening.

“Beds are closed due to staffing shortages and the emergency department is packed,” he said.

“We have reached a stage where at least seven patients are being treated in ambulances because there isn’t space in the hospital. This is the biggest outbreak the hospital has ever faced.”

The INMO said most of the patients being treated in ambulances had “some kind of respiratory issue”.

Mr Donohue said the hospital “urgently” needs extra staff in order to cope with this demand.

“The Government need to ensure that all hands are on deck for this. On behalf of the healthcare team, I cannot urge people in Donegal and across the island [enough] to follow public health advice and stay at home.”

‘Extremely busy’

A spokeswoman for the Saolta University Health Care Group, which represents Letterkenny University Hospital, confirmed it was "an extremely busy weekend" for the facility with a "large number of patients presenting with suspect or confirmed Covid-19, many of whom required admission to the hospital".

“As a result of the sustained level of these presentations over the course of today [Sunday], the hospital has had few beds available, which has resulted in delays in admission specifically for patients going to the dedicated Covid-19 zone,” she said.

“As part of the hospital’s response to this serious situation, clinical teams assessed patients who were delayed being admitted from the ambulance. This was to ensure that patients were treated in clinical priority.”

The spokeswoman said the hospital secured additional staff on Sunday evening, enabling it to open a further 11 beds in order to respond to the demand.

“While there were ambulances delayed late this afternoon, over the course of the evening they have [been], and continue to be, released. The hospital would like to apologise to patients for the distress that these delays cause and would like to acknowledge the huge effort of its staff.”