The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has begun a two day unannounced inspection of UHL today.
It comes as the hospital is attempting to manage large volumes of patients at its emergency department.
UHL has already announced the cancellation of day surgery today at Ennis Hospital to add additional capacity for medical patients who have to be transferred there to cope with overcrowding at UHL.
Elective surgery is continuing at its other sites, but hospital management are reviewing capacity issues on a day to day basis.
The hospital said a total of 246 patients presented to its ED yesterday, and those high figures followed a number of days last weekend in which all its sites saw high numbers of very sick patients.
The INMO trolley watch figures put patients waiting at UHL today at 96, down from 109 yesterday, which was the highest so far this year, and another occasion since last March when those daily figures went over 100 patients.
HIQA undertook an unannounced inspection of UHL's ED last June in which it found that nurse staffing levels were insufficient to provide safe care; the demand for services exceeded the emergency department’s capacity and was a major contributing factor to overcrowding.
It also found there was ineffective patient flow and decreased in patient bed capacity, and that the dignity and privacy of patients was compromised in those overcrowded conditions.
HIQA said it will issue its report on today's inspection in due course.
