The Mater Hospital in Dublin is asking members of the public to avoid attending its Emergency Department (ED) as services are under "extreme pressure".
In a statement released on Wednesday morning, the hospital said people should "where possible" avoid the ED, explaining: "Hospital services are under extreme pressure due to a combination of a large number of people contracting Covid, high numbers of presentations at the ED and high levels of staff absences due to Covid-19."
1/ The Mater Hospital is appealing to the public, where possible, to avoid its emergency department (ED). Hospital services are under extreme pressure due to a combination of large numbers of people contracting Covid, high numbers of presentations at the ED...
— Mater Hospital Trauma (@MaterTrauma) March 16, 2022
The hospital added: "Patients who are presenting at our ED with non-urgent conditions are unfortunately experiencing lengthy waiting times to be seen."
Those with non-emergency conditions are asked to seek treatment from other areas of the health service, such as minor injury units or their GP.
"However, any patient who is in need of emergency hospital care will of course be seen," the statement added.
The Mater apologised for any inconvenience caused, thanking the public for their understanding and consideration.
Trolley figures
The hospital's calls come as figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) show there were 454 people waiting for a hospital bed in hospitals around the country on Wednesday morning.
Of those, 369 were waiting on trolleys in an ED, while a further 85 were waiting in wards elsewhere in the hospitals.
University Hospital Limerick had the highest number of patients waiting for a bed (71), followed by University Hospital Galway (44) and Letterkenny University Hospital (37).
The INMO figures also show the Mater had 23 patients waiting on trolleys this morning, all of whom were in the hospital's ED.
