Patients advised to consider all other 'care options' prior to attending Wexford General Hospital

Sarah Slater

The Health Service Executive is asking members of the public to consider all other “care options” before attending Wexford General Hospital emergency department due to it being “extremely busy”.

Currently, high numbers of people are attending the department, some of whom will need to be admitted to the hospital for ongoing treatment, the HSE has said.

The hospital is advising that patients who attend its ED for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience longer waiting times.

A spokesperson for the HSE said that they are urging the public to use “alternative healthcare services for treatment such as GPs, GP Out-of-Hours or pharmacists where appropriate”.

“But if patients are very sick and in an emergency situation, they should come to the ED, “ the spokesperson continued.

The HSE said it acknowledges that the delays are difficult for patients and “apologises” for the inconvenience and longer wait times that patients may experience due to “very busy periods”.

“The ED is always available to treat seriously ill patients, and the sickest patients are seen first. All beds in the hospital are in use, and every effort is being made to manage patient flow to ensure patients who need to be admitted, are at the earliest opportunity,” the HSE spokesperson added.

The HSE pointed out that community pharmacists provide expert advice and over-the-counter treatments for a wide range of minor illnesses.

In addition to this expert advice, a new service is available which allows pharmacists to supply prescription-only medication without the need to see a GP.