Trolley watch: 541 people waiting for beds across Irish hospitals

Kenneth Fox

541 people are waiting for a bed in hospitals nationwide this morning.

390 are in emergency departments, while 151 are in wards, according to the INMO.

University Hospital Limerick is the worst affected facility on Monday with 80 patients on trolleys. That is followed by Cork University Hospital which has 74 people waiting for beds.

The figures come as the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has warned that Government policy risks exasperating waiting times for routine care and overwhelming GP services.

The group held its annual general meeting in Killarney on Saturday, hearing concerns that the extension of free GP care to 500,000 additional people will lead to longer waits for GP appointments.

The expansion of free GP care was announced as part of Budget 2023, coverings all six and seven-year-olds and those on or below the 'median income level'.

However, the IMO noted that recent Government reports stated an extra 1,100 GPs are needed to deliver the expanded capacity.

The group said in addition to longer GP waiting lists, the move would also force more practices to close their doors to new patients, displace care for those who cannot access GP care in a timely fashion, and increase pressure on out-of-hours GP services and emergency departments.

"GPs have a critical role to play in the health services, but overwhelming GP services will destroy its potential and could lead to those with serious health conditions being unable to access urgently needed care," the chair of the IMO's GP committee Dr Tadhg Crowley said.

"It has been clearly demonstrated that extending the numbers eligible for free GP visits leads to increased demands to see GPs.