Visiting restrictions have been introduced at Sligo Hospital following two flu outbreaks in separate wards at the facility.
193 cases have been confirmed in the hospital since the flu season started with 56 in the last week. 80 people have been admitted to hospital with the flu.
Management at the Hospital are requesting visitors to adhere to the following:
- Visiting to the hospital should only be considered for direct family.
- Children should not be brought to visit on adult wards.
- Where a ward is managing a flu outbreak, visiting will be limited to compassionate grounds only.
- Visiting is only between 6-8pm each day.
- Visiting outside these hours can only be facilitated in exceptional circumstances and should be prearranged with the Clinical Nurse Manager 2 on the ward.
In response to this sharp increase in cases, the HSE is asking the public to please help to control the spread of flu within our communities and our health services by co-operating with visiting restrictions and infection control measures which have been introduced.
Symptoms of flu include a high temperature, aches and pains, headache, sore throat or cough. If you have any of these symptoms please do not visit a loved one in the hospital. You must postpone your visit until at least 48 hours after your symptoms have cleared, this will reduce the risk of spreading infection to vulnerable patients and healthcare staff.
Everyone coming to the hospital should be extra vigilant, please wash your hands and use hand gel regularly. Face masks are widely available across the hospital.
For mild illness or non-urgent conditions there are a number of treatment options open to you – being prepared and knowing where to go will mean that you will get treated more quickly and will ease pressures on the healthcare system. Your local out of hours GP service and pharmacies are open for expert advice and treatment.
Anyone with breathing difficulties or chest pain should attend the emergency department for treatment or call 112/999 in an emergency, and patients with non-life-threatening conditions should seek healthcare in the community. As always, we treat our sickest patients first, which means that patients who attend the ED for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience very long waiting times.
The HSE is urging every eligible person to get vaccinated against flu and COVID as soon as possible, both the public and health care staff. The vaccines can stop infection, severe illness and prevent transmission to vulnerable people. Visit hse.ie, call HSELive on 1800 700 700 or talk to a participating GP or pharmacist to get a vaccine.
