End of year trolley numbers a cause for concern

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation have recorded that 11,842 patients were admitted to hospital without a bed in December.

Over 121,318 patients, including 2,777 children, went without a bed in Irish hospitals in 2022. The worst year for hospital overcrowding on record.

Sligo University Hospital was announced as the fifth most overcrowded hospital in December and it also made number 4 on the top five overcrowded hospitals in 2022.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “Our members have spent this year working in a constant state of crisis. Nurses are unfortunately ending this year how they started it ­— firefighting intolerable overcrowding coupled with highly transmissable viruses and infections. INMO members in triage and emergency departments in Ireland’s busiest hospitals are highlighting how the conditions are comprising patient safety.

“570 patients are without a bed in Irish hospitals today, we know from experience that in the first weeks of January that trolley figures could have the potential to nearly double. The State cannot walk into the next week unprepared for what could be a severe overcrowding crisis.

“We have had silent acceptance from Government and the HSE on this type of overcrowding for far too long. The HSE have acknowledged that things are going to get worse in our hospitals before they get better but have not outlined what precise supports will be made available to our members in the coming days and weeks ahead.

“The HSE has a duty as an employer and as a service provider to take the necessary steps to scale up capacity. The current state of our health system is extremely concerning. The INMO has called for the HSE to have a realistic plan. We cannot allow a drift into this dangerous situation emerging across the country.”