Health officials urge public to consider all care options ahead of busy bank holiday period

HEALTH services are asking the public to explore all avenues of care before presenting at A&E this October bank holiday weekend.

With high attendance numbers expected at Emergency Departments, the HSE is asking people to consider other methods of care including their GP’s, pharmacists and out of hours services before presenting at Emergency Departments.

As always, people who do require emergency care are encouraged to attend EDs where they will be prioritised.

Health staff across hospital and community settings will continue to work together over the weekend to ensure all available beds across the hospital and community are in use.

"Bank holiday weekends can be a busy time for our hospitals and emergency services," said Saolta University Health Care Group, based in Galway, in a statement.

"This means that patients who attend EDs for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience very long waiting times over the coming weekend."

John Fitzmaurice, Chief Officer Community Healthcare West, added: “We would ask everyone to consider all healthcare options this bank holiday weekend. The GP out-of-hours service is for patients needing urgent medical care. It is not a substitute for the Emergency Ambulance Service who are the appropriate service to deal with medical emergencies where they arise.”

Tony Canavan, CEO of the Saolta Group added: “We are working with our community colleagues to provide the best possible service to our local population over the bank holiday weekend. If you need emergency care we will be there to provide it, but if it is not an emergency please consider all other care options in the first instance.  

"We expect our Emergency Departments will be busy over the bank holiday and we would ask for patience from the public as we prioritise treating those in need of urgent care."

Local Injury Units are also open to treat injuries that are unlikely to need hospital admission and are more convenient and often quicker than an emergency department. Injury units can treat broken bones to legs (from knees to toes) and arms (from collarbone to fingertips), sprains and strains, minor facial injuries, scalds and burns, wounds such as bites and lacerations, objects stuck in eyes, ears or nose and minor head injuries.

You don’t need an appointment or a GP referral to attend a Local Injury Clinic. Visit hse.ie/services/injury-units to see the full list of what injury units can and cannot treat and to find your local unit.

For information on when you should go to the ED visit hse.ie/ emergencies or you can get advice on a number of illnesses that can be treated at home at hse.ie/ conditions/common-illnesses. The HSE’s mychild website also has lots of information regarding childhood illness and viruses.

Many local pharmacies will be open over the weekend including the bank holiday Monday to help with minor illnesses. Find out more about the services offered by your local pharmacy here.