Today saw the largest number of patients on trolleys so far this year.
According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, there are 669 persons on trolleys in Irish hospitals. This figure includes 28 children.
With 80 persons on trolleys today, University Hospital Limerick is the worst affected, followed by Cork University Hospital with 72.
There are 51 patients on trolleys in both Letterkenny University Hospital and St James’s Hospital, while there are 45 people on trolleys in University Hospital Galway.
INMO general secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha has described the figures as “extremely concerning but not surprising”.
She added that the INMO has “seen a 27% increase of patients on trolleys in the last week”.
The INMO general secretary has urged the HSE, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, and the Health and Safety Authority to take swift action in the worst-affected areas.
She also asked that expert teams be dispatched today at Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Galway.
Ní Sheaghdha added that a “range of measures must be taken now in the short to the medium term including the curtailment of all non-emergency, elective care”.
She also called for capacity from the private sector to be provided immediately, alongside a “laser focus on recruitment and retention”.
““If Government and HSE are serious about keeping Irish nurses in Irish hospitals,” said Ní Sheaghdha, “then they must take immediate action on safe staffing, fast tracking recruitment and getting private hospitals on the pitch now.”
“The health and safety of our members and the patients they are trying their best to care for must take priority. We know that they are currently operating in truly unsafe care environments.”