Cancelled procedures double as Galway hospital under pressure
Outbreak of vomiting bug
THE NUMBER of postponed day procedures at Galway University Hospitals (GUH) doubled between December 2025 and January 2026.
In December, 30 cases were put on a waiting list after their appointment was cancelled at short notice due to no bed being available. The numbers rose to 75 a month later, a jump of 60 per cent.
There continues to be a severe shortage of beds at University Hospital Galway with 74 patients waiting on trolleys across wards and the Emergency Department on Tuesday morning. The hospital is also dealing with an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug on two wards and is appealing to the public not to visit if they have any symptoms. Visiting restrictions are in place on outbreak wards, with visiting restricted to compassionate grounds only.
“This has been a challenging winter for us, as we had a huge jump in the number of older patients coming through the doors. They tend to have a longer duration in beds, impacting appointments,” Anne Cosgrove, Integrated Area Health Manager for Galway told a meeting of the West Regional Health Forum.
Read more of this story in this week's edition of The Tuam Herald, on sale in shops or buy our digital edition here