A local GP says the overcrowding issues at St Luke’s are not due to an extra patient load from the Wexford Hospital fire.
The General Hospital for Carlow Kilkenny had 45 patients without beds yesterday according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
Hospital Management is asking patients not to turn up at the ED unless it’s a genuine emergency without consulting their GP first, and to consider other options like their local pharmacy.
Here’s the statement hospital management’s issued to KCLR News:
“Similar to many Emergency Departments across the country St Luke’s General Hospital’s Emergency Department is extremely busy with high numbers of patients attending, many of are presenting with complex needs requiring admission.
“Hospital Management would like to thank the public for their support and understanding during this period.”
The facility had been treating some extra patients after the hospital fire in Wexford early last month but Dr Justin Kwong on The Way It Is last evening said he doesn’t think that the case now.
And he added that while the usual winter bugs have mostly died off, there’s still a lot of sickness circulating in the community.
Hear his conversation with our Sue Nunn in full here:
