INMO appeal for urgent action amid 'almost record-breaking' trolley levels in Cork

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) is calling for the immediate cancellation of non-urgent elective activity amid a rise in the number of patients on trolleys.

INMO assistant director of industrial relations Colm Porter said that the number of admitted patients awaiting beds in Cork this week is “reaching almost record-breaking levels” .

Yesterday, almost 100 admitted patients were waiting for beds at hospitals in Cork.

'Shocking'

Mr Porter described the numbers on trolleys as “shocking” and said that record-breaking levels of overcrowding will likely be seen at hospitals in Cork and across the country this Christmas.

“You had two days this week where the numbers on trolleys were well over 700 across the country,” he said.

“It’s shocking that we’re heading into the Christmas period with those levels of patients who are obviously sick enough to be admitted to hospital but don’t actually have a bed.”

Mr Porter appealed to the HSE to take urgent steps to address the issue.

He suggested that private hospital beds be utilised wherever possible.

He added that the INMO is also calling for the immediate cancellation of non-urgent elective activity and a heightened focus on infection-control measures.

“There does need to be a heightened focus on infection-control measures too, particularly as we’re seeing that RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] is fairly rampant in society,” he said.

'Significant numbers' on trolleys, says HSE

A statement from the HSE to The Echo acknowledged that acute hospitals have been busy this week, with significant numbers of patients on trolleys awaiting an in-patient bed.

“The HSE regrets that any patient has a bad experience while waiting to access our services, including those who have to wait in emergency departments beyond an acceptable timeframe,” the statement read.

“In particular, the HSE acknowledges that long waiting times are very difficult for older people and those who find themselves in vulnerable situations. We remain committed to trying to ensure that their care and comfort will be a priority, even when some waiting is unavoidable.”

23 outbreaks at hospitals 

The HSE said that there has been a doubling of the number of patients who require admission to hospital due to flu in the past week, as well as high numbers of RSV-related hospitalisations.

“Across our acute hospitals, we are currently managing 23 outbreaks of respiratory illness, and this impacts on the availability of beds, as impacted wards are closed to admission of new patients,” it added.

The HSE said it had implemented several actions to support the health service including “additional funding for GP out-of- hours services, increasing services work over seven days, additional funding to allow hospitals access extra community beds so patients who are clinically fit can be discharged, availability of private hospital beds to allow hospitals transfer suitable patients, and more private ambulance availability so hospitals can quickly transfer patients who are ready for discharge.”