Hospital winter pressure concerns in wake of latest trolley figures

by Louise Doyle

CONCERNS for staffing levels and winter pressures in hospitals has been raised, amid latest trolley watch figures released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

Figures for October showed there were 279 admitted patients awaiting beds at Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH).

The figure is 20 per cent down on last year’s total of 349, 55 per cent down on the 2022 total of 617, and 70 per cent down on figures for October 2021, which saw a high of 943.

On Friday, there were 23 patients on trolleys on Letterkenny University Hospital. Eight patients were on trolleys in the emergency department. Fifteen others were on trolleys in wards elsewhere in the hospital.

Nationally, 10,515 patients were on trolleys throughout the country’s hospitals last month. IMNO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said described the figure as “grim”.

“The fact that over 10,000 sick people were treated on a trolley this October is a grim indicator for the level of overcrowding we are bound to see over the winter period.

“Staffing is an issue across all hospitals. Not having a safe number of nursing staff in our emergency departments, inpatient wards, long term care and community services continues to exacerbate the persistent problem of overcrowding in our hospitals.”

Ms Ní Sheaghdha reiterated her calls on the government and HSE to protest frontline services by lifting the recruitment embargo.

“Again this winter, our members are not assured that their safety and that of their patients is a priority. The HSE and Government must protect frontline services by lifting the recruitment embargo immediately and accelerating the hiring process, which has been hindered by the current pay and numbers strategy.

“These delays now result in nearly 12 months to approve replacements for essential nursing and midwifery posts.”

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