It has been announced this morning that the Emergency Department at Wexford General Hosptial is set to re-open on Tuesday the 25th of July.
13 weeks after a devastating fire destroyed a number of areas inside and outside the hospital including the A & E, Wexford General Hospital Manager Linda O’Leary has spoken to Alan Corcoran this morning and revealed the re-opening date 2 months earlier than previously planned.
Currently and for the past number of weeks Wexford General has offered a Minor Injuries Unit and an Acute Medical Assessment Unit. Since March 1st, all emergency cases have been diverted to hospitals in Waterford or Kilkenny, or as far as Dublin, creating massive pressure on the system. In particular, University Hospital Waterford has had a tremendously difficult few weeks.
According to Linda O’Leary, “It’s great to have a date. A lot of work from our staff has gone into getting to this point but it’s important to be clear, we still have six weeks to go until the ED opens. We have a huge body of work ahead of us. We’re on the home straight now though. We just need to get the work done and be ready for July 25th.”
Although the ED will be reinstated, the hospital will not have returned to full bed capacity on this date. Speaking to Alan Corcoran on ‘Morning Mix’ Ms O Leary says the Hospital will open on a phased basis beginning with full reinstatement of the Maternity unit. This means that there will be greater pressure on the ED service when it reopens. It is expected that full bed capacity will be returned in the coming weeks, certainly by the end of August.
The latest information regarding services in WGH can be found here, http://hse.ie/WexfordHospital The injury unit will continue to remain open treating the people of Wexford.
As always if you need urgent care, please ring 999/112 or attend your nearest alternative ED.
