Flu season continues to impact local hospital

Public urged not to attend Emergency Department unless necessary

Members of the public are being urged not to present at the Emergency Department at Cavan General Hospital unless absolutely necessary.

It comes as nurses say there are 23 patients on trolleys in the hospital awaiting admission. It's up from just two on Friday, according to the nurses' daily trolley count.

Today's appeal was issued to GPs and the media this morning as flu continues to impact the local acute hospital facility.

Cavan General Hospital management issued the ‘escalation’ notice advising that the Emergency Department is "currently experiencing significantly high levels of activity".

Issued in the name of Su-Zann O’Callaghan, General Manager, Cavan & Monaghan Hospital, it reads: 'There has been an increased number of patient presentations, including a notable rise in flu-related cases.

'All patients should be advised of significant delays and limited bed capacity at present.

'If any alternatives to an Emergency Department referral are available these should be explored as a priority.'

Ms O'Callaghan assures the public: 'We are still providing full emergency care if it is required.'

She concludes by thanking the public for their support.

Meanwhile, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) is calling for an emergency national plan to deal with overcrowding in hospitals, as 761 patients were reported on trolleys this morning - 23 of them in Cavan.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “Nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals are now working in unenviable circumstances in hospitals and community settings as they deal with chronic overcrowding in the middle of a widespread respiratory illness outbreak while national weather warnings are in place.

“It is inconceivable that we are once again talking about how high trolley figures are on the first Monday in January. This level of overcrowding when dealing with the level of flu and RSV that we have seen over the festive season was entirely predictable but there has been no plan in place by the HSE and individual health regions to stem the worst of it."

She said that nurses want to be able to provide safe care to patients but also be assured that their own health and wellbeing is being protected.

"Neither are guaranteed when they are working in overcrowded conditions where respiratory infections are rife," said Ní Sheaghdha.

“The HSE and other public sector healthcare employers must reassure nurses, midwives, healthcare workers, and the wider public that extraordinary measures are being taken to address and remove all barriers to delivering safe care during this critical time," she concluded.