UHG tackles trolley challenge to avoid Covid surge

As activity returns to ‘normal’ levels in the public health system, management at University Hospital Galway admit the biggest challenge they now face is keeping the Emergency Department trolley-free.

Coronavirus is almost completely suppressed in Galway and UHG managers have switched the focus to resuming non-Covid related surgeries and procedures, while staying alert to the threat posed by a possible fresh wave of Covid-19 cases, as lockdown restrictions ease further from Monday week.

The city ED, which regularly had huge numbers of patients waiting every day on trolleys pre-Covid, hasn’t used trolleys since March. But as daily attendances once again reach 230-plus, avoiding a return to ED overcrowding is a top priority at UHG, according to Dr Pat Nash, Chief Clinical Director of Saolta Hospitals Group.

“Our ED is one of the busiest in the country. On a daily basis we have well over 200 patients. There were 230 attendances on Tuesday, which is nearly ten an hour on average and 20 in some hours of the day. It’s a huge challenge and one we’re very vigilant about.

“We cannot accept trolleys, because of the risk. Trolleys are something we don’t want anyway but the increased risk in the Covid era of potential transmission of Covid is unacceptable so we have to operate and manage our services where we can’t let trolleys resume. That’s the challenge as we get back to more scheduled activity,” he said.

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