West Cork patients should try to find alternatives to emergency care at Cork's hospitals, the HSE has said.
The call comes as A&E departments at both Cork University Hospital (CUH) and Mercy University Hospital (MUH) are experiencing "extremely high levels of activity", with long waiting times for some patients.
With a high number of presentations to the Emergency Department in recent days, HSE South West is asking the public to consider all care options before looking for emergency treatment.
People are being asked to attend GPs, Local Injury Units at St Mary’s and Mallow General Hospital, pharmacists and SouthDoc out-of-hours services.
A spokesperson said: "Anyone with an urgent or emergency care need should attend an Emergency Department, but we are asking anyone with a less serious condition to use different services."
A&E staff at CUH and MUH prioritise patients in terms of clinical need and current wait times for non-urgent care are lengthy, says the HSE.
All patients arriving are clinically assessed and seen in order of priority, so those with non-urgent presentations will be waiting a long time.
They are asked to seek alternative treatments where possible.
The Southern Star this week reported about staff shortages and overcrowding at CUH, with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) stating September was the hospital's worst month on record for overcrowding.
A total of 1,008 patients were left on trolleys waiting to be seen last month.
