University Hospital Galway is reporting heavy overcrowding with long waiting times and high trolley numbers at the Emergency Department.
The Emergency Department in UHG is extremely busy with 248 people attending yesterday and high numbers tracking again this morning.
As of this morning, there are 50 patients on trolleys awaiting admission to an inpatient bed, with additional surge beds in use.
The high number of people attending who need to be admitted for ongoing treatment means that there is pressure on bed availability.
This is resulting in significant delays being experienced by patients in the Emergency Department who are waiting for a bed to become available on a ward.
Due to bed shortages, the hospital is postponing some elective procedures. As always urgent, time sensitive cases are being prioritised.
Patients are being contacted directly if their procedure is being postponed.
The hospital is urging the public to use alternative healthcare services for treatment, such as their GP, GP Out of Hours, the Roscommon Injury Unit and pharmacies when appropriate.
“The hospital apologises for any inconvenience caused and would like to thank the public for their understanding and patience at this time,” a spokesperson for UHG said.
“Emergency Departments are always available to treat seriously ill patients, and the sickest patients are seen first. People with less severe injuries and symptoms may have to wait to be seen.”
“For mild illness or non-urgent conditions there are a number of treatment options open to you depending on your illness – being prepared and knowing where to go will mean that you will get treated more quickly and will ease pressures on the healthcare system.”
The out of hours GP (WestDoc), Roscommon Injury Unit and pharmacies are open this weekend for expert advice and treatment.
