Hospital overcrowding: Over 11,000 patients on trolleys in March

Figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) show there were 11,130 people without a bed in Irish hospitals in March.

This is the second-highest March on record in terms of hospital overcrowding.

The hospital with the highest number of people without a bed through March is University Hospital Limerick, with 1,701 patients on trolleys last month.

At  Cork University Hospital, 939 people were without a bed, while there was 924 patients on trolleys in Sligo University Hospital.

INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said:“This is the third consecutive month that we have seen over 10,000 people on trolleys in our hospitals, and our members are now concerned that this will become the new normal. Current trolley trends predict how the system will cope come autumn and winter.

“Every year that we see higher overcrowding numbers, it means the bar for safety in our hospitals is being lowered. And our members are the ones who have to bridge the gap between the patients’ needs and the lack of resources.

“This is deeply unfair to patients, and the physical and psychological effects on these workers are enormous. These are not acceptable standards in healthcare or in working conditions, and it is vital that any shortfalls in staffing and resources are addressed so that this situation does not continue or worsen over the coming months.”

On Wednesday, 573 people are without a bed in hospitals across the country.

At University Hospital Limerick, there are 87 people on trolleys, with 33 in the emergency department.