GALWAY EMERGENCY PATIENTS COULD WAIT A DAY FOR ADMISSION

Date Published: 09-Aug-2011

Patients attending the emergency department at Galway University Hospitals and Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe could be waiting for more than a day to be admitted.

That’s according to the latest Healthstat report from the Health Service Executive.

Minister for Health James Reilly says the figures are worrying but the creation of a ‘special delivery unit’ will tackle overcrowding.

The figures for the month of May show that about 40 percent of patients at GUH waited between 12 and 24 hours to be admitted.

The latest statistics from the HSE come less than a day after the 24 hour emergency service at Roscommon County Hospital ended, forcing more patients into hospitals in Galway.