Call for ‘decisive action’ as 786 lack hospital bed in Cork

The Health Service Executive (HSE) has been called upon to take “immediate and decisive action” as almost 800 people have been left without a bed across hospitals in Cork so far in October.

According to figures published by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), there were 786 patients across Cork University Hospital (CUH), Mercy University Hospital, and Bantry General Hospital treated on emergency department trolleys, or without a bed in a ward, between October 1 and October 16.

During this period, CUH saw the majority of patients treated without a bed, at 536 people.

This was followed by Mercy University Hospital, which saw 219 patients treated without a bed, and Bantry General Hospital, with 31 patients treated without a bed.

Yesterday, there were 66 patients waiting for beds across Cork, 52 of whom were waiting in emergency departments, while the remaining 14 were waiting in wards elsewhere in the hospitals. The highest number of patients waiting for a bed in one day across CUH, Mercy University Hospital, and Bantry General Hospital so far this month stands at 82, recorded on Wednesday, October 8.

Speaking to The Echo, a spokesperson for INMO said the HSE must urgently implement a number of measures to “relieve the current pressures” felt by staff across Cork’s hospitals.

“There has been a significant number of patients on trolleys in both CUH and the Mercy Hospital in recent weeks,” the spokesperson said. “When both emergency departments are operating at full capacity, there is no release valve available to alleviate the pressure on services. Priority must be given to the recruitment of additional nurses to fill existing vacancies and to provide adequate staffing for the new beds due to come on stream.

“The HSE must take immediate and decisive action to ensure that all patients requiring emergency care can access it in a timely manner,” they added.