Senator Aisling Dolan - Strong Voice, New Vision.
University Hospital Galway is advising that people presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) are currently experiencing long waiting times and would like to apologise for the delays.
The hospital continues to be impacted by COVID-19; as of 8pm last night there were 49 patients with COVID-19 in the hospital, which is the highest number for any hospital in the country. Two wards in the hospital are dedicated to care for patients with COVID-19 and a further five wards are affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 – with two closed to admissions - which is limiting the availability of beds for patients coming in through the ED.
The pressure on bed availability has resulted in very high numbers of patients waiting on trollies in the ED and assessment areas who need to be admitted to hospital for ongoing treatment. In addition, some elective procedures have been cancelled and patients have been contacted directly.
Every effort is being made to discharge patients who are ready to go home so that beds will become available for patients who need to be admitted, at the earliest opportunity.
The hospital is committed to treating everyone who presents at the ED; people who are seriously injured or ill are assessed and treated as a priority and those who do not require urgent care may be waiting longer. 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.
As an alternative to the Emergency Department - for minor injuries - the Injury Unit in Roscommon University Hospital is open from 8am to 8pm every day to treat a range of injuries in both adults and children over five years of age.
