Galway University Hospital is one of the most overcrowded in the country today, and the HSE is urging members of the public to avoid the Emergency Department, unless absolutely necessary.

According to the Irish Nurses & Midwives  Organisation, there are 31 patients waiting for admission to a bed at the Galway Hospital – making it the third-busiest ED in the country.

The full capacity protocol was implemented at the hospital yesterday, and has been put in place again today as staff struggle to deal with overcrowding.

HSE management say efforts are continuing to identify patients who are appropriate for discharge, while a of non-urgent elective procedures have also been cancelled.