University Hospital Limerick recorded the highest amount of patients on trolleys ever witnessed at an Irish hospital today (Wednesday).
Eighty two patients were without a bed at UHL on Wednesday morning according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO). Forty seven of the patients without a bed were in the emergency department and thirty five were in different wards around the hospital. In September, there were over 1,400 patients without beds at UHL.
According to the Mid-West Hospital Campaign, four patients are on trolleys at Ennis General Hospital.
General Secretary of the INMO, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said, “The situation is escalating beyond crisis point and cannot be allowed to continue. We are calling on the Minister to intervene directly. He needs to instruct the hospital to cancel electives, provide emergency funding, and increase the number of home care packages today.
“Promises of future improvement will not suffice. Real action is needed today. We have been saying this on repeat for more than a decade. Ireland does not have sufficient hospital capacity. Without an increase in beds and the professionals to staff them, this problem will continue to escalate”.
Across the country, there were 556 patients without beds, the other worst-hit hospitals include, Cork University Hospital (55), University Hospital Galway (42), Letterkenny University Hospital (36), South Tipperary General Hospital (35) and Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (35).
