Two wards at St Luke’s General Hospital for Carlow & Kilkenny remain closed while a third’s been temporarily relocated & only those seriously injured or ill are asked to present at the emergency department.
That’s according to a statement from the HSE which says the facility is very busy having admitted a lot of seriously ill patients with a variety of complex healthcare needs, including a number who are presenting with Covid19 symptoms.
They say that due to the previous outbreak of CPE & Covid19 in the hospital, Medical wards 1 and 2 still remain closed to new admission. And add that the Paediatric ward’s been temporarily relocated within the hospital to the former CCU on the main floor. It can be accessed via the current main entrance or the emergency department during out-of-hours.
Temporary signage is in place for the duration of the relocation, which is expected to last for at least the next two weeks.
KCLR News understands 21 patients were being treated for Covid19 at the facility last night (more on that here).
A spokesperson says “We apologise for the inconvenience caused to patients or their loved ones who are experiencing long wait times”.
They add “We are asking people to think about all their care and treatment options, the length of time you may be waiting in ED/AMAU should you not require urgent care and we would ask that people keep our ED services for the patients who need them most. However, if you are seriously injured or ill the ED/AMAU will assess and treat you as a priority”.
Meanwhile, there’s been an outbreak of the virus at University Hospital Waterford – read about that here
