Two wards currently closed at Portiuncula

Two wards are currently closed at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, with one of the wards due to re-open in the coming weeks. The HSE confirmed yesterday afternoon that St John's Ward has been closed at the hospital. This follows the closure of St Francis' Ward for a six-week period in July. St Francis' Ward was closed due to a decrease in demand over the summer months, the HSE said at the time. Yesterday the HSE said: "We hope to be in a position to re-open these beds (in St Francis' Ward) in the coming weeks." St Francis' Ward contains 25 beds, while St John's Ward, which has been closed since the beginning of July, has 31 beds. Coupled with the ward closures the HSE said yesterday it will not be renewing six temporary contracts at the hospital. Last week the number of patients left waiting on trolleys at the hospital sparked anger from a local TD who said by the end of the year patients would not only be waiting on hospital trolleys, but in the back of ambulances outside the hospital. Fine Gael's Deputy Denis Naughten said: "There is absolutely no doubt about it, the number of people on trolleys is as a result of bed closures. "If we have people on trolleys in the month of August what will it be like next month when people start getting flu. In the winter months there is an increased demand on health services. Unless radical action is taken there will literally be patients lying in the backs of ambulances outside casualty by the end of the year," Deputy Naughten said.