Number of patients at Cork University Hospital on trolleys up 49% for September

Cork University Hospital (CUH) treated almost 50% more patients on trolleys in September than it did in August, as experts warn that persistent overcrowding will worsen as winter approaches.

Overall, 1,542 patients were treated without a bed in a Cork hospital this September, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

This is up significantly from August, when 1,075 patients were treated on trolleys in Cork hospitals, and also a slight increase from September 2023, when the figure was 1,458.

Nationally, 9,635 patients were treated on trolleys during September compared to 7,838 in August, though the number is a slight decrease from 2023 when 10,018 patients were treated on trolleys in Irish hospitals.

Varied

Within this figure, trolley figures for individual hospitals have been varied, though Bantry Hospital’s figures stayed the same at 100 patients on trolleys in September in both 2023 and 2024.

CUH, which was again the second-most overcrowded hospital in Ireland in September, just behind University Hospital Limerick, saw a 23% increase in the number of patients being treated on trolleys, with 1,263 this September compared to 1,023 last September.

CUH’s high figure also marks a 49% increase compared to August, when there were 847 patients on trolleys.

However, The Mercy Hospital saw a sharp drop compared to last year’s figure, with just 179 patients treated on trolleys in September 2024 compared to 408 in September 2023 — the hospital’s figures did increase slightly compared to August, when 169 people were treated without a bed.

Yesterday, there were 85 patients on trolleys in Cork hospitals, 73 in CUH, three in Bantry, and nine in The Mercy.

Ballot

The figures come as the INMO announced it will ballot its members on industrial action shortly and begin holding lunchtime protests with other health unions, the first of which is to take place in CUH tomorrow.

INMO deputy general secretary Dr Edwards Mathews said: “We are now heading into the hardest period of the year without enough staff to safely care for patients, and the number of people who will be treated on trolleys will continue to grow over the coming months.

“Our members are extremely discouraged to be heading into another winter period without safe staffing levels, and with a HSE strategy in place to prevent recruitment into vacant positions.

“Additional bed capacity must be prioritised, and all obstacles to recruiting nurses and midwives need to be removed urgently. Continuing to obstruct safe staffing in this way is simply irresponsible, and will without a doubt lead to worse outcomes for patients this winter.”

The Echo contacted South South-West Hospital Group for comment.