Warning of spike in trolley numbers in Cork hospitals

A CORK TD has warned that trolley numbers in emergency departments (EDs) that had decreased over the festive period will “spike again” in the first week of January.

Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould said there has been “a huge spike” in cases of flu, Covid-19 and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) in Cork in the past week and that more people will present to hospital following the Christmas break.

According to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre’s (HPSC) Respiratory Virus Notification Data Hub, there were 59 cases of RSV, 127 cases of influenza, and 66 cases of Covid-19 recorded in Cork last week.

“During Christmas, schools are closed, workplaces are closed, sporting grounds are closed and so all places where people may have accidents or get sick are closed so the risk goes down so to make that comparison that trolley figures have decreased in this time isn’t a fair comparison,” he said.

“Watch the figures in the first week of January spike when people are back at school and college, sport is back, and people are back out and about. A spike straight away will balance out the quiet week of Christmas with the whole month.

“The other side of it then is that there are some people who should have presented to hospital over the Christmas but because it’s Christmas they don’t want to do that. People don’t want to be in hospital for Christmas and unfortunately, some people will have delayed going when they should have been going.” 

His comments come as 40 patients were recorded on trolleys in Cork on Friday. There were six patients on trolleys at Bantry General Hospital (BGH), 24 patients on trolleys at Cork University Hospital (CUH), and 10 patients on trolleys at the Mercy University Hospital (MUH).

Deputy Gould said that beds and staff are “the only way to tackle this crisis” and that serious investment is needed in Cork’s EDs to meet the required capacity.