Mater Hospital suspends routine admissions

The Mater Hospital in Dublin has warned the public it is no longer accepting non-emergency admissions due to overcrowding.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said all routine admissions have been suspended and that patients with non-emergency conditions should visit their GP.

She said the casualty department is completely full, with the situation being worsened by the winter vomiting bug and the flooding, and that the problem had been building up since Tuesday.

"There's no light at the end of the tunnel, I'm afraid," she said.