An interim emergency department at flood-hit Letterkenny Hospital is now opening to ambulance admissions on a phased basis.

The HSE says the capacity of  the Letterkenny ED to treat more patients will be extended over the coming weeks.

Since Saturday, the ED will be open to ambulance admissions only from the Letterkenny, Fanad and Inishowen areas. 

Since yesterday, the number of ambulance admissions will be increased and NoWDOC out-of-hours referrals from Letterkenny and Carndonagh will also be accepted, according to the HSE.

By early this week it is expected that the ED will be open to self–presenting patients as well as ambulance and GP referrals from North West Donegal. 

The decision to bring all patients back to Letterkenny will then be reviewed in light of how the interim services are functioning, the HSE said.

The hospital suffered significant flood damage last month, and the HSE says 40% of hospital services have been affected.

"It will be some time before we have all the information to determine when the hospital will return to pre-flood conditions, but it is likely to be several months."

An update on services being provided at Letterkenny is available here