Mercy Hospital asks only urgent cases to attend after surge in seriously ill patients

The hospital advised patients with less urgent complaints to contact their GPs, SouthDoc or the Mercy Local Injury Unit

The spokesman said the hospital has implemented its escalation policy to deal with the high number of attendees at the emergency department. File photo: Larry Cummins

The Mercy University Hospital in Cork has activated its escalation policy following a surge in seriously ill patients requiring medical attention.

It has now appealed to people not to attend its emergency department unless they are in need of urgent medical attention.