Important message: Due to the extremely high numbers of attendances to our emergency departments and urgent care centre, regrettably CHI at Crumlin, Tallaght, and Temple Street will need to cancel some non-urgent elective in-patient and day case procedures from 1st - 5th November 2021.
If you are scheduled for an in-patient or day case admission during this time, the hospital's admission team will contact you directly prior to your scheduled date.
All out-patient appointments will proceed as scheduled.
Statement - Friday 29 October 2021
Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) is restricting some elective activity at our Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght hospitals as a result of the very high number of attendances to our Emergency Departments (EDs) and Urgent Care Centre (UCC). Cancellations of admissions are being reviewed by the hospitals each day. Patients affected will be contacted directly by the hospitals.
Around 40 per cent of in-patients across CHI hospitals have Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), while many others have the winter vomiting bug, other viral illnesses. Cancelling elective procedures is necessary in providing care safely at this time for patients needing urgent or essential treatment and for our staff to manage.
Ms Eilísh Hardiman, Chief Executive, Children’s Health Ireland, said: “All of our hospitals – CHI at Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and the Urgent Care Centre at Connolly Hospital– continue to experience extreme pressures on services and staff. We fully appreciate cancelling any activity will impact our patients and families and cause distress, especially for those who have waited a long time for appointments – for that we are sorry. We need to ensure we can continue to deliver safe care. We are reviewing the situation daily and we hope to restore non-urgent services as soon as possible. We are working with the HSE on investment to improve access to care for patients on waiting lists.”
Dr Ciara Martin, Clinical Director at CHI, said: “We would like to reassure parents and families that our EDs and Urgent Care Centre are open, however patients attending will likely experience delays. If your child is seriously ill or you are worried that their life may be at risk, please attend your nearest ED and we will assess and treat your child as a priority. Please consider community services such as your GP or pharmacy if suitable, before you attend one of our hospitals. Our staff are working hard to manage this busy period and we are grateful for their commitment to safe patient care.”
Resources for parents:
- When to get help
- Prevention & TIY – Treat It Yourself
- Flu and Croup
- RSV
- Urgent Care
CHI advises parents and guardians to visit www.undertheweather.ie which gives practical information and advice on dealing with many common illnesses like colds, flu, earaches, sore throats, tummy bugs and rashes.
