Emergency Department in fire-damaged hospital set to reopen in July

The emergency department (ED) at Wexford General Hospital is expected to reopen in July, the HSE has confirmed.

The ED will be ready for use by Tuesday, July 25.

However, despite the good news, it is likely that full bed capacity in the entire hospital will not be restored until late August.

The fire on March 1 caused significant damage to parts of the hospital and forced its total evacuation, before some departments began to reopen the following day.

In a statement hospital manager Linda O’Leary said: "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 25.” 

"Although the ED service will be reinstated, the hospital will not have returned to full bed capacity. 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," Ms O'Leary said. 

See below statement from Wexford General Hospital on the opening of the hospital’s Emergency Department on 25 July. pic.twitter.com/AcPgLeoF3f

— Wexford General Hospital (@WexGenHosp) June 9, 2023

The latest information regarding services in WGH can be found here, 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.