LETTERKENNY was one of the most overcrowded hospitals in Ireland in December.
New figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) show that 834 people were admitted without a bed last month.
Only Limerick, Cork and Galway were worse off in terms of being able to accommodate patients.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said 2022 was the worst year on record for hospital overcrowding.
Nationally 11,842 patients were admitted to hospitals without a bed in December.
Throughout the year over 121,318 patients, including 2,777 children, went without a bed in Irish hospitals.
“Our members have spent this year working in a constant state of crisis,” said Phil Ní Sheaghdha.
“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.
“Today 570 patients are without a bed in Irish hospitals, 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 has 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,” Mr Ní Sheaghdha added.
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