DUBLIN, Ireland: The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) reports that 599 patients are on trolleys across Ireland on any given day in June, highlighting insufficient bed capacity and an unnecessary recruitment embargo on nursing staff.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha expressed concern over the rising overcrowding in hospitals.
“The level of overcrowding we have seen over the last six weeks in particular is a cause of concern for nurses and midwives. We are now seeing a dangerous amount of patients on trolleys on wards across our hospitals, with 182 patients on trolleys outside of emergency departments today alone,” she stated.
In its pre-budget submission last year, the INMO called for an additional 2,500 beds to be provided by the end of 2024. N Sheaghdha emphasized that this must now become an operational and political priority, ending the recruitment moratorium and implementing intensive recruitment measures.
Currently, 599 people are waiting for beds across Ireland, with University Hospital Limerick having the highest number at 118 patients on trolleys. Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Galway follow with 50 and 49 patients waiting for beds, respectively.
