The emergency department at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe is extremely busy this week, putting pressure on bed availability.
The Saolta Hospital Group says that there is a higher than average number of people attending the emergency department this week.
This is putting pressure on beds at the hospital, with people waiting significant lengths of time to be admitted to an acute bed from the A&E.
People are asked to contact the their GP or the Westdoc Out Of Hours Service/Midoc Out of Hours Service if their health issue is not urgent.
“We would also like to remind patients that the Injury Unit in Roscommon University Hospital is open from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to treat a range of injuries in both adults and children over five years of age.”
“We are committed to treating everyone who presents at our ED but we do so strictly in order of medical priority and apologise for the long wait times,” a Saolta statement said this morning.
There are 27 patients at Portiuncula without a bed this morning according to the INMO, far higher than usual for the Ballinasloe hospital.
These numbers have been increasing all week in the INMO’s Trolley/Ward Watch figures, with 20 patients going without a bed on Monday, rising to 22 yesterday.
