SOME ELECTIVE SURGERIES at Letterkenny University Hospital in Co Donegal have been postponed due to overcrowding.

The hospital is part of the Saolta Hospital Group, and in a statement today, it said the Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) is “extremely busy with long wait times”.

Over the past week, 1,015 people have attended LUH’s Emergency Department and the hospital is also dealing with a “significant increase in COVID-19 presentations and admissions”.

There are currently 14 Covid positive patients being treated at LUH.

The Saolta Hospital Group added that there is a high number of people attending who need to be admitted for ongoing treatment, which adds to pressure on bed availability.

This is resulting in “significant delays being experienced by patients in the Emergency Department who are waiting for a bed to become available on a ward”

As of this morning, all available beds in the hospital are in use and 11 patients are on trolleys awaiting admission to in-patient beds.

“Every effort is being made to discharge patients who are ready to go home so that beds will become available for patients who need to be admitted, at the earliest opportunity,” said the Saolta Hospital Group.

It added that due to these pressures and lack of bed capacity, UHL is postponing some elective procedures.

Urgent and time sensitive cases are being prioritised and patients will be contacted directly if their procedure is being postponed.

The Saolta Hospital Group said that while it is “committed to treating everyone who presents at our ED”, this will be done “strictly in order of medical priority”.

“The hospital acknowledges that these delays are very difficult for patients and their families and apologises for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause,” said the Saolta Hospital Group.

It has asked that people only attend the ED at LUH “if it is an emergency situation” and that people attend their GP or out of hours service in the first instance if possible.

Meanwhile, visitors to the hospital have been reminded of the need to practice good hand hygiene and to use hand gel regularly, and that face masks are available for use throughout the hospital.