All three Midlands hospitals experiencing increasing numbers seeking admission

The three Midlands hospitals are all experiencing increasing numbers of people requiring admission.

The HSE's Midlands Integrated Healthcare Area (IHA) today said Regional Hospital Mullingar, Midlands Regional Hospital Tullamore and Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise had all opened additional beds to cope with this extra demand on capacity and resources at this time.

Where possible, HSE IHA Midlands management are asking patients with non-emergency conditions to seek assistance from other parts of the health service such as their local Pharmacist, GP, GP out of hours service, or a local injury unit.

You can visit http://www.hse.ie/injuryunits to find your nearest injury unit and their opening hours. If you require urgent medical attention out of hours, you can visit https://www2.hse.ie/services/find-a-gp-out-of-hours/

Unfortunately, patients who are presenting at the ED with non-urgent conditions are experiencing very long waiting times to be seen.

Any patient who needs emergency hospital care will be seen and HSE IHA Midlands would urge such patients not to delay attending the ED. Do not delay in seeking medical attention if you suspect you are having a heart attack or stroke, please dial 999 or 112 in an emergency.

HSE IHA Midlands said it apologised for any inconvenience caused and thanked the public for their support and understanding.