A €1 million medical admission unit has opened in Wexford General Hospital in a bid to speed up the admission of patients referred by their General Practitioners .
The new unit, which can accommodate up to 10 patients at a time, will reduce the numbers waiting to be seen in Accident and Emergency and provide more efficient treatment for all patients.
The unit will be open seven days a week.
It will allow patients to undergo relevant investigations - such as blood tests and X-rays - before being transferred to allocated beds within the hospital.
Only patients who have been seen and referred by GPs will be admitted.
Patients who come directly to the hospital and who have not been referred by their GP will be seen and treated in Accident and Emergency.