The NoWDOC GP Out of Hours Service reported a very high volume of calls on Friday night.
As the Halloween holidays commence, the HSE is asking people to contact non-emergency care services such as NoWDOC to avoid overcrowding in Emergency Departments.
As a result, callers to NoWDOC clinics experienced longer waiting times on Friday night. Urgent calls are being prioritisied and dealt with first, a statement said.
“The service is designed to provide urgent GP care to patients and is not a substitute for the Emergency Ambulance Service who are the appropriate service to deal with medical emergencies where they arise,” a spokesperson said.
Meanwhile the Emergency Department in Letterkenny continues to deal with high numbers of patients attending who require admission.
Over the long weekend and midterm break, the HSE is encouraging the public to contact Injury Units, Out of Hours GP and pharmacies before attending an ED.
“Patients who attend EDs for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience very long waiting times,” the HSE said.
They added: “It is really important that people who do require emergency care are encouraged to attend EDs where they will be prioritised. Please dial 999 or 112 for emergency care if there is concern for serious illness or injury.”
Injury units treat injuries that are not life-threatening, such as broken bones, dislocations, sprains, wounds, scalds and minor burns. Details of Injury Unit locations and what they can and cannot treat are on hse.ie/injuryunits
Information on how to manage common illness and advice on when to get emergency help is available from hse.ie/winter.
