THERE were 15 patients waiting on trolleys at Kerry General Hospital today according to INMO ‘Trolley Watch’ figures released this morning.

Nationally, today there are 506 patients waiting on trolleys.

The figures come as it was reported yesterday that non-urgent patients faced a wait of up to 13 hours at the Emergency Department as the facility reported a continued increased level of activity.

Nine patients are waiting on trolleys yesterday, while 14 people were waiting on Wednesday.

Hospital management are requesting that, where appropriate and if their needs are not urgent, the public contact their GP first and explore all other options prior to attending the Emergency Department.