Flu season impacts local hospital as 16 reported on trolleys
Members of the public are being urged not to present at the Emergency Department at Cavan General Hospital unless absolutely necessary.
The appeal was issued on Monday of this week and comes amid a doubling of reported cases of influenza nationally over the past week.
Cavan General Hospital management issued the ‘escalation’ notice on Monday of this week (December 16) stating staff at the local acute hospital facility were experiencing “significantly high levels of activity”.
“All patients should be advised of significant delays and limited bed capacity at present,” the notice read, with “high numbers of patient presentations to the Emergency Department,” it stated.
The situation appeared to have worsened yesterday (Tuesday), December 17, when nurses reported 16 patients on trolleys waiting for a bed. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Trolley Watch figures showed that, nationally, there were 589 patients waiting on trolleys for beds in public hospitals.
Monday’s communication was issued to the local media and GPs in the name of Laura Waters, acting general manager, Cavan & Monaghan Hospital Group. It said that, although the hospital was still providing “full emergency care if it is required”, people were advised to consider alternatives to attending the ED.
“If any alternatives to an Emergency Department referral are available these should be explored as a priority.”
The notice concluded by thanking everybody for their support.