CUH revealed as the second most overcrowded hospital in the country during February

THE Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has warned that its members are under “severe pressure” as the numbers of patients on trolleys in hospitals in Cork and across the country are exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

Publishing its TrolleyWatch Report for February, the INMO said urgent action must be taken to address overcrowding in the country’s hospitals.

According to the union, there were 9,869 patients on trolleys during February — 1,354 more than the equivalent figure in 2019.

Cork University Hospital (CUH) experienced the second-highest level of overcrowding last month, with a total of 807 patients on trolleys.

The hospital with the worst overcrowding was University Hospital Limerick, with 1,498 patients on trolleys.

“Our nurses and midwives are under severe pressure,” INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said.

“They are dealing with huge numbers of Covid and non-Covid patients presenting at emergency departments coupled with inadequate staffing levels.”

“We are once again back in the bad old days of hospital overcrowding, with numbers of patients on trolleys now exceeding pre-pandemic levels,” she said.

“The INMO has been sounding the alarm on this situation for too long.”

Ms Ní Sheaghdha said that bespoke plans to tackle overcrowding in each individual hospital were “badly needed”.

The INMO is due to make a presentation to the Oireachtas health committee on March 9.

“It is very important that the political system gets a real grasp of this country-wide problem that exists within our health service,” Ms Ní Sheaghdha said.