HSE South West has advised that the Emergency Department at Cork University Hospital  is currently experiencing very high levels of activity.

It is urging people only to attend if they need emergency care, otherwise they should consult a pharmacist or SouthDoc out-of-hours GP services.

A spokesperson for HSE South West said: “We are advising people to attend the Emergency Department if they have an urgent or emergency care need, but if they have a less serious condition to consider all care options - including minor injury units, their own GP, pharmacists and SouthDoc.

 “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.

“Your GP can also access Urgent Virtual Care (UVC), a regional telehealth service which allows GPs and paramedics to discuss your situation directly by phone, or by video call, with a senior physician in emergency medicine or geriatric medicine. They can advise you if you need to attend the ED.”

The HSE advised people in West Cork to know their options including self-care (having a well-stocked medicine cabinet to help with colds and sore throats), their local injury unit for broken bones and burns (www.hse.ie/injuryunits), their pharmacist, or ED for emergencies (999/112).