University Hospital Galway is extremely overcrowded today, with 73 patients on trolleys and long waiting times at the ED.
The hospital has warned that people who attend the ED for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience very long waiting times.
This week has seen very high attendances at the Emergency Department, yesterday 235 patients attended the ED and over 100 patients have presented to the ED so far today.
Many of these patients are acutely unwell and have complex needs requiring admission and this is putting pressure on bed availability.
This morning there were 56 patients on trolleys on the emergency department, and another 17 people are without a bed in the wards.
This has led to significant delays for a bed to become available for people attending the emergency department.
Chris Kane, Hospital Manager in GUH said, “The hospital is under significant pressure at the moment with all available beds in use.”
“We apologise to any patient who is waiting a long time to be treated and we are doing everything we can to optimise the flow of patients through the hospital.”
In addition to these pressures the hospital is treating over 30 patients with respiratory illnesses including flu, COVID-19 and RSV, with one ward managing an outbreak of COVID-19.
Visiting is limited in wards affected by outbreaks and visitors to all other areas of the hospital should be mindful of public health advice.
All visitors to the hospital will be required to use hand gel regularly, face masks are available for use throughout the hospital.
Chris Kane said, “We continue to request that people only attend the Emergency Department at the hospital if it is an emergency situation.”
“We ask that people attend their GP or out of hours service in the first instance if at all possible,” he added.
“The Roscommon Injury Unit is also open from 8am to 8pm to treat a range of injuries in both adults and children over five years of age.”
The hospital acknowledged that long waiting times are difficult for patients and their families, and apologised for the distress this may cause.
