University Hospital Galway is again urging people to stay away from its emergency department due to severe delays.
In what is now an almost weekly occurrence, a full capacity protocol has been implemented by hospital management, to try to deal with a backlog of patients awaiting admission.
In a statement, the hospital said people turning up for treatment at the emergency department would face "significant delays".
It is urging those in need of medical treatment to only present at the department as a last resort.
Instead, people are being advised to contact their GP or out-of-hours medical services outside the hospital.
