University Hospital Galway extremely busy today

University Hospital Galway is extremely busy today, 16 December which has resulted in pressure on bed availability in the hospital.

We regret that patients are currently experiencing long waiting times to be admitted from the Emergency Department to an acute bed in the hospital. We have a high number of patients waiting for admission on trollies in the ED and in both the Acute Medical Unit and Acute Surgical Unit, which we apologise for.  We know these delays are very difficult for our patients and their families.

We would like to remind the public that we encourage them to attend the Emergency Department (ED) only in the case of real emergencies. If your health problem is not an emergency you should contact your GP during normal surgery hours or the WestDoc GP Out of hours service, in the first instance.

We would like to remind our 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.

We would ask that patients wait in the ED alone to help the hospital maintain social distancing. A companion will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances. We know this is very difficult but we need to do this to minimise everybody’s risk of infection and to keep everyone safe.  We remind patients to please wear a face covering/mask when in the ED.