The Injury Unit at Roscommon Hospital is open throughout the weekend.

Members of the public are being urged to consider other options this weekend if they are seeking non-emergency care as significant delays are to be expected at Emergency Departments.

In a statement the Saolta Hospital group reminded the public that the Roscommon Injury Unit is open and  treats 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

“Emergency Departments (EDs) continue to be extremely busy with high numbers of patients attending who require admission. This means that patients who attend EDs for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience very long waiting times over the coming weekend,” the group warned.

“As always, people who do require emergency care are encouraged to attend EDs where they will be prioritised. Patients who attend EDs for routine and non-urgent treatment are being advised that they will experience very long waiting times over the coming weekend and into early next week.

“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.

“We are appealing to the public to help protect our hospitals for those patients who need urgent and emergency care,” said a statement from the group.

“The Saolta Hospital Group regrets that patients will face significant delays across our hospitals and asks everyone to help our staff at this time by considering other options for non-emergency care such as the Roscommon Injury Unit, Out of Hours GP and pharmacies before attending an ED.

“The Roscommon Injury Unit treats 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,” said the group’s statement.

Tony Canavan, CEO of the Saolta Group said: “Anyone who suspects they may be facing an emergency situation should of course come to the Emergency Department and they will be seen and treated. However, we would ask those who may be in a non-urgent situation to help our staff through a challenging time by looking at other healthcare options where possible.”

Breda Crehan-Roche, Chief Officer Community Healthcare West added: “If you urgently need to see a GP out of hours, please contact Westdoc on 0818 360 000.  Westdoc provides urgent out-of-hours GP care for patients of participating practices in Galway, Mayo & Roscommon.   The GP out-of-hours service is for patients needing urgent medical care.  It is not a substitute for the Emergency Ambulance Service who are the appropriate service to deal with medical emergencies where they arise.”

• Information on how to manage common illness and advice on when to get emergency help is available from ie/winter.

• The HSE’s mychildwebsite also has lots of information regarding childhood illness and viruses.