Nearly 8,200 patients treated on trolleys in hospitals in May
Eva Osborne
Nearly 8,200 patients, including 75 children, were admitted to hospital without a bed this May, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
The top 5 most overcrowded hospitals include:
- University Hospital Limerick – 2,055 patients;
- University Hospital Galway – 919 patients;
- Cork University Hospital - 673 patients;
- St Vincent’s University Hospital - 496 patients;
- Letterkenny University Hospital - 468 patients.
INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “The number of people on trolleys is still much too high. We are still seeing near daily instances of over 400 people being treated on trolleys, chairs or other inappropriate bed spaces every day.
“We want to engage proactively with the HSE to ensure that our members are able to cope with the seasonal and predictable challenges that they are likely to encounter over the coming months.
“We are yet again seeing unacceptable levels of overcrowding in the Midwest and West, where there is little to no capacity release valves to help ease overcrowding. The delivery of fully-staffed, additional capacity must be a priority for the HSE in these areas.
“Persistent overcrowding does not just have an impact on patient outcomes, it also impacts nurse and midwife safety and wellbeing. We know that when hospitals are overcrowded assaults are more regular and staff burnout and intention to leave rises.
"These are very real issues that need to be addressed by the Health Service Executive.”
