Cork’s Mercy hospital asks less-urgent cases to present elsewhere

Management at Mercy University Hospital in Cork have appealed to members of the public needing less urgent treatment not to present at its emergency department due to a significant surge at the numbers presenting at the hospital.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation there were some 22 patients on trolley at MUH today, with a similar number on trolleys at Cork University Hospital, as the figure for those on trolleys nationally topped the 400 mark.

The situation prompted MUH management to issue a statement in which it said the hospital had “again experienced a surge in patients presenting at the hospital’s emergency department”, which deals with about 28,000 attendances per annum.

Contact GPs

"Patients with less urgent complaints are advised to contact their GPs or South Doc, in the first instance, or avail of services at the Mercy Urgent Care Centre, St Mary's Health Campus and other urgent care units in the city," said the hospital in a statement.

“The hospital has implemented its escalation policy to deal with the exceptionally high number of attendees at the emergency department and while the ED remains open 24/7, it is regrettable that some patients will experience long delays.”

Expressing regret at the delays, MUH management reminded the public that South Doc is an option for those seeking medical attention outside of working hours, while the Mercy Urgent Care Centre, St Mary's Health Campus, Gurranabraher is open from 8am to 6pm.

Elsewhere, the Local Injuries Unit at Bantry General Hospital, which operates between 8am and 7.30pm, and the Local Injuries Unit in Mallow General Hospital, open from 8am and 7pm, are available to those in the county who may have thought of using services at MUH.