Galway Bay fm newsroom - UHG is today the most overcrowded hospital in the country, with 43 people waiting on trolleys for admission to the facility.
In a statement to Galway Bay FM News, the HSE says the Emergency Department is extremely busy and it's advising those who attend to expect significant delays.
Of the 43 people currently on trolleys at UHG, 6 of those have been waiting for a bed longer than 24 hours, while a further 21 patients have been waiting for over 9 hours.
Nationally, there are 252 people on trolleys awaiting admissions to the country's hospitals - which means UHG accounts for almost 20% of the overall figure.
The HSE says the Full Capacity Protocol has been implemented and all efforts continue to be made to identify patients who are appropriate for discharge.
It's urging 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.
Earlier this month, an official report described conditions at UHG’s accident and emergency department as ‘nothing short of scandalous.’
Meanwhile, Simon Harris is planning to reschedule his cancelled visit to the hospital - but no date has yet been set for the Health Minister to witness first hand what has been described as 'shocking and disturbing' conditions at the facility.
