Cork hospital records second-highest number of patients on trolleys

Cork University Hospital (CUH) recorded the second-highest numbers on trolleys across the country on Monday.

According to the latest Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) TrolleyWatch figures, there were 68 people recorded on trolleys at the hospital on Monday morning.

54 of those patients were waiting on trolleys at the hospital’s emergency department (ED) and a further 14 patients were waiting on trolleys in wards elsewhere in the hospital.

University Hospital Limerick (UHL) recorded the highest number of patients on trolleys on Monday, with a total of 91 patients waiting on a bed at the hospital.

Elsewhere in Cork city, there were 13 patients waiting on trolleys at Mercy University Hospital (MUH).

In West Cork, there were seven patients waiting on trolleys at Bantry General Hospital (BGH).

Last week, the INMO called for a bespoke plan to tackle overcrowding in Cork city.

INMO Assistant Director of Industrial Relations for the Southern Region Colm Porter said the situation in CUH is continuing to deteriorate week on week and that members are “under significant pressure across all wards”.

“Our members are under significant pressure across all wards. The bed deficit that currently exists in CUH is impacting the ability of our members to carry out the safe care they have been trained to provide to patients,” he said.

The INMO called for a national response and immediate engagement from the HSE.