Cork hospital was second most overcrowded in country in September, says INMO

More than 1,000 admitted patients were waiting on a bed at Cork University Hospital over the month of September, according to figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

On Saturday the organisation published new figures showing the number of admitted patients that were waiting for beds at hospitals across the country for the past month.

The INMO said that nationally, over 10,018 patients went without a bed in Irish hospitals in September.

Over 202 children were without a bed in September, it said, and so far in 2023, 2,523 children under the age of sixteen have been treated on a trolley or chair.

The INMO said that the five most overcrowded hospitals included:

• University Hospital Limerick (2,174 patients) 
• Cork University Hospital (1,024 patients) 
• Sligo University Hospital (775 patients) 
• St. James’ Hospital (532 patients) 
• University Hospital Galway (516 patients)

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha warned that urgent action is needed to address the issue before the winter.

“September has always been a reliable indicator of how the winter is going to look for healthcare staff, and the situation that our members are predicting based on these figures as was the case in August, indicates a huge red flag,” she said.

"As we enter winter then the response from the HSE and Government must be more focused on risk mitigation and curtailing services to meet the requirements of basic safety levels,” she said.

“We need risk reduction measures to be introduced now - not when it is too late and an inevitable adverse incident occurs.”