Mater hospital urges people to avoid emergency department

The Mater hospital in Dublin has appealed for people to avoid its emergency department where possible as it deals with significant numbers of patients.

Its appeal comes on foot of latest figures released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) that show there were 451 people waiting on trolleys in emergency departments and wards across the country on Tuesday morning.

“The Mater hospital is currently experiencing very high numbers and protracted wait times in its emergency department,” management said in a statement.

"We are asking the public, where possible, to attend their GP in the first instance, or the Rapid Injury Clinic in Smithfield for minor injuries. Those attending the emergency department will be managed according to priority, so less urgent cases will experience delays."

The INMO Trolley/Ward Watch statistics for the day showed the Mater to have the second highest number of people on trolleys in the eastern region at 32, following St Vincent's University Hospital at 34.

The highest number on trolleys in the country was recorded at South Tipperary General Hospital with 39.