CUH urges non-urgent cases to stay away as hospital experiencing 'high levels of activity' 

The emergency department at CUH is currently very busy, the hospital chief executive said. File picture: Dan Linehan

Cork University Hospital (CUH) has issued a plea to the public for only urgent cases to attend the emergency department as it is currently experiencing very high levels of activity.

HSE South West, which is responsible for the hospital, asked if people have less serious issues, that they consider all care options — including minor injury units, their own GP, pharmacists and SouthDoc out-of-hours GP services.

It said people should attend if they have "an urgent or emergency care need".

As of Tuesday morning, there were 32 people on trolleys awaiting a bed in CUH, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

HSE South West explained that in the emergency department, 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.

CUH chief executive 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.”