University Hospital Limerick accounts for one fifth of patients on trolleys nationally

Muireann Duffy

Over one fifth of the patients waiting on trolleys in hospitals nationwide on Wednesday morning were at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

The data from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) showed of the 545 people waiting for a hospital bed, 115 were on trolleys at UHL.

Forty-nine people were waiting in the Emergency Department (ED), while the remaining 66 were on trolleys elsewhere in the hospital.

The number of patients waiting on a trolley at UHL on Wednesday morning was also more than double the second most overcrowded hospital, University Hospital Galway, where 48 people were waiting for a bed.

The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital had 47 and 45 patients waiting on trolleys respectively, while Cork University Hospital and Sligo University Hospital each had 34.

Nationally, the number of patients was down from Tuesday's figure of 591.

Wednesday's figures continue the trend of UHL being the most overcrowded in the country, despite repeated calls for the issue to be addressed.

The INMO has previously said the persistent levels of overcrowding at UHL are having a very damaging impact on staff morale, describing the conditions as "unacceptable and dangerous for patients".

"When overcrowding is out of control it is simply impossible to maintain patient safety and dignity," the union said back on February 7th, when UHL recorded its worst day for overcrowding – 150 people waiting on trolleys – since the INMO's trolley watch records began in 2006.