Coronavirus-related staff absenteeism at the UL Hospitals Group has led to the deferral of the majority of scheduled surgery and outpatient appointments next week at five hospitals in Limerick, Clare and Tipperary.
The group’s chief executive, Colette Cowan, said the deferral would take effect from Tuesday to Friday at University Hospital Limerick (UHL); Ennis General Hospital; Nenagh General Hospital; St John’s Hospital; and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital. Services at University Maternity Hospital Limerick, where visiting restrictions were announced on Thursday, due to an outbreak of Covid-19, will not be affected, she said.
“The high levels of Covid-19 infection across our communities is having a significant impact on staffing levels and therefore it is imperative that we take the necessary precautions to ensure that time-critical and emergency care can go ahead,” Ms Cowan said.
The group said “a significant surge in Covid-19 activity across society” had led it to “anticipate that an increase in staff absences will have a significant impact on services over the coming weeks”.
Protect patients
It said there were 392 staff off work and self-isolating, “having either tested positive for Covid-19, been designated as a close contact or deemed high risk”.
Health Protection Surveillance Centre guidance was being followed as work continued to contain the virus and protect patients and staff. “Contact tracing and testing of staff and patients are continuing and we are putting into effect all the appropriate infection control measures to mitigate the risk,” it said.
“Emergency and trauma theatre continues to operate and time-critical outpatient appointments are also being accommodated both face to face and virtually.”
Patients impacted by the deferral of services are to be contacted directly by the hospital, and “the curtailment of services are being kept under continuous review by the UL Hospitals Group crisis management team”.
A number of patient services will remain unaffected, including the dialysis and acute fracture clinic at UHL. Cancer services will be unaffected – oncology and haematology day ward; haematology and oncology OPD clinics; medical oncology clinics and rapid access clinics.
Ms Cowan urged people to use local injury clinics, family doctors, out-of-hours GPs and pharmacies as an alternative to the emergency department at UHL unless presenting in life-threatening emergencies.
She offered her “regret the impact that these cancellations will have on our patients”, and said the group “will prioritise our most urgent patients for planned procedures and appointments next week and we look forward to increasing activity as soon as possible”.
The group said: “If you do have symptoms of Covid-19, it is important that you do not go to the emergency department or your GP. Ring them in advance for advice. Avoid contact with other people by self-isolating. In a medical emergency if you have severe symptoms, call 112 or 999.”