Galway Bay fm newsroom - The HSE has confirmed that a team will be put in place in the coming days to design a new ED at UHG - but it's likely to be up to five years before a new department is up and running.
It comes as the hospital faces serious overcrowding today, with 45 patients on trolleys - some of them since Monday.
The team which will be appointed shortly will design the new emergency unit, as part of the HSE's vision to deliver a new 7-storey building with a rooftop plant room.
However, the project will be carried out in phases - and will take up to five years to complete.
Tuam area councillor Mary Hoade, who's chair of the HSE Regional Health Forum West, says the process must be fast-tracked.
Speaking at a conference in Dublin today, Health Minister Simon Harris said patient safety is the fundamental cornerstone of our health service.
However, a number of Galway's TDs, Senators and local councillors, as well as doctors and nurses working at the coal-face, have said conditions at UHG pose a threat to the safety of both staff and patients.
