THE MATER HOSPITAL in Dublin are asking members of the public to stay away from their emergency department where possible because of increased demand.
The hospital asks members of the public to visit their GP first – or if more urgent to attend the Rapid Injury Clinic Smithfield, which deals with injuries such as broken bones and eye injuries.
In a statement released earlier today, the Mater Hospital said:
The Mater Hospital is currently experiencing high numbers and protracted wait times in its Emergency Department.
We are asking the public, where possible, to attend their GP in the first instance, or the Rapid Injury Clinic in Smithfield for minor injuries.
Those attending the Emergency Department will be managed according to priority, so less urgent cases will experience delays.
Demands for hospital services increase every year around the Christmas/winter period. This is due to colder weather which leads to more people being indoors in close proximity to each other and viruses are able to spread more quickly.
INMO trolley watch figures for today show that the Mater is the eastern hospital with the highest number of people on trolleys – at 27. The nationwide trolley figures for today is 352.
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