The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) claims that the hospital overcrowding in Cork City is “out of control.”
The city’s Cork University Hospital and Mercy University Hospital are both facing record levels of congestion, and the union has called for a customised strategy to address the problem.
The highest number in the State of 92 persons were waiting on trolleys on Tuesday morning at Cork University Hospital. The waiting list at Mercy Hospital, which had 40 patients waiting for beds, was described as “intolerable for nurses” at the time.
Nationally, the INMO found there were 613 patients on trolleys.
“Overcrowding in both major hospitals in Cork has become out of hand, with records being broken in both Cork University Hospital and the Mercy today,” INMO assistant director of industrial relations for the southern region Colm Porter said.
“It is clear now that this warrants a national response from the Health Service Executive. The situation in Cork University Hospital is continuing to deteriorate week on week.
“Our members are under significant pressure across all wards. The bed deficit that currently exists in CUH is impacting the ability of our members to carry out the safe care they have been trained to provide to patients.”
In order to guarantee that patients may be released into the community without delay and that all available private capacity is utilised, Mr. Porter further said that urgent engagement is required.