Emergency Department at Cork University Hospital currently 'very, very busy'

HSE South West has advised that the Emergency Department at CUH is currently experiencing very high levels of activity.

It comes as the INMO’s daily figures show that 32 people were being treated on trolleys in the Cork hospital on Tuesday.

HSE South West is advising people to attend the ED if they have an urgent or emergency care need, but if they have a less serious condition to consider all care options - including Minor Injury Units, their own GP, Pharmacists and SouthDoc out-of-hours GP services.

In the ED, patients are prioritised based on their most urgent care needs and people with less urgent care needs can wait a long time to be seen.

GPs can also access urgent virtual care (UVC), a new regional telehealth service which allows GPs and paramedics to discuss a patient’s situation directly by phone, or by video call, with a senior physician in emergency medicine or geriatric medicine and advise on if they need to attend the ED.

The chief executive officer of Cork University Hospital, Jennifer Kearney said: “The Emergency Department at CUH is currently very busy, and seeing very high numbers of people attending.

“With these numbers of people needing emergency care, it’s important that we make sure they can be seen quickly according to clinical priority. I ask everyone to consider: ‘Is the ED the right place for my care?’ 

“There are excellent alternatives available - including local GPs, pharmacies, SouthDoc, and injury units that can offer prompt and appropriate support. We thank our community for their consideration.” 

Options for care include pharmacies, GPs, local injury units, and out of hours services such as SouthDoc.