University Hospital Limerick will be closed to inpatient visitors for a number of days due to outbreaks of the flu and Covid affecting seven wards.
The ban was decided upon as a precautionary measure to protect patients and staff.
The only exceptions to the temporary visitation restrictions are:
- Parents visiting children in hospital
- people assisting confused patients (on a case-by-case basis)
- people visiting patients who are critically unwell or at end of life (on a case-by-case basis)
In a statement released by the UL Hospitals Group, a spokesperson said: “UL Hospitals Group regrets to announce that University Hospital Limerick will be closed to inpatient visiting for the next number of days, while the hospital manages multiple outbreaks of Covid-19 and influenza across the site, which remains extremely busy this morning.
“All appropriate infection control precautions are being followed to minimise the risk of spreading infection among staff and patients in the hospital, and also within the wider community.
“The situation is being monitored and reviewed daily, and we will relax the restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so.”
The daily attendance at its Emergency Department also remains high “the past week averaging approximately 232.”
They said patients are “presenting with more severe and complex illnesses than heretofore, and a higher proportion of admitted patients are requiring longer stays for treatment and recovery.
"We continue to work our Escalation Plan in managing this continued surge in demand for emergency care, but long waits for non-urgent care in the Emergency Department are inevitable.”
The hospital has insisted that all non-urgent cases should consider "all other available care options, including family doctors, local pharmacies and out-of-hours GP services.
“However, please note that if you are seriously injured or ill or are worried your life is at risk, the ED will assess and treat you as a priority."
