The National Ambulance Service is urging patients to seek alternative pathways to hospital after its busiest day of the year so far.

Its call centre processed over 17 hundred incidents yesterday, the highest of 2024.

National Ambulance Service Community Engagement Manager Ger O’Dea has said that calling an ambulance doesn't get you through emergency departments quicker.

“So, we would encourage people, you know, who would suffer a minor illness or injury to maybe explore the likes of going to a local pharmacy, the out-of-hours GP’s, or the local minor injury units,” he said.

“That would allow then for us to make sure that we have ambulances available to respond to the higher priority calls where someone is seriously ill or injured.”

The service is urging people to avoid going to the hospital where possible, as the HSE says over 750 people are in receiving treatment for the flu across Ireland

Main image: An ambulance taking a patient to hospital. Picture date: Monday January 18, 2021.