Galway Bay fm newsroom - The emergency department at Portiuncula Hospital remains under severe pressure today as the facility struggles to deal with high numbers of patients awaiting admission.
For the second time in recent days the HSE has issued a statement in relation to severe capacity issues at the Ballinasloe unit.
The HSE says that due to the increased level of activity over the weekend, patients are experiencing significant delays in being transferred from the Emergency Department to a bed in the hospital.
It says the Full Capacity Protocol has been implemented and all efforts are being made to identify patients who are suitable for discharge.
It's the second time in just four days the HSE has issued a statement in relation to capacity issues and it's apologising for any distress caused to patients and families.
The INMO has previously claimed a lack of nursing staff is partly to blame for the challenges facing the Ballinasloe facility.
The HSE is asking the public to attend the Emergency Department only in the case of real emergencies - and to contact their GP or GP Out-of-Hours service in the first instance.
