Hospital Overcrowding Crisis Deepens As Almost 10,000 Patients Left Waiting on Trolleys Last Month

There were nearly 10,000 patients left waiting on trolleys in hospitals across Ireland last month according to new figures released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. The organization has stated that overcrowding at hospitals has reached crisis point, as the latest figures mark the highest level of patients waiting on trolleys ever recorded in the month of February. Further statistics from the INMO state that the situation is getting progressively worse year by year, with a massive 75% increase on patients waiting since 2013 and a 33% increase on last year. The figures show that Beaumont was affected the most with 769 patients waiting to be seen, while St. Vincent’s hospital had 532 patients on trolleys. Elsewhere, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and the University Hospital in Limerick had each more than 700 patients waiting on trolleys. Nationwide, there were 9,657 patients in total waiting on trolleys. “These figures truly confirm the scale of the crisis from overcrowding,” said INMO general secretary Liam Doran. “This level of overcrowding inevitably leads to the care of patients being compromised and frontline staff being overworked.” The Emergency Department taskforce have met to discuss the crisis and there is a report on the situation being compiled for consideration. "These measures will require additional funding and the government must acknowledge this need and provide the necessary additional resources on a continued and sustained basis," Mr. Doran concluded.