THERE are 46 patients at Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) without a bed today.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said trolley numbers have been very high over the last few days leading to overcrowding records being broken in Cork University Hospital (94 patients on trolleys today) and University Hospital Limerick (132 patients yesterday).
Across the country there are 640 patients on trolleys today. In LUH 20 patients are on trolleys in the emergency department and 26 elsewhere in the hospital.
“This is leading to very dangerous situations for patients and nurses who are trying their best to provide safe care,” said INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha.
“We are calling for the immediate cessation of all non-urgent elective procedures. We know anecdotally from our members that some hospitals are still allowing procedures to be carried out despite huge numbers of patients on trolleys in hospitals. This is not acceptable.
“Hospitals must now make it their focus to de-escalate the number of patients being admitted on trolleys. The aim has to be to reduce the number of patients on trolleys across the hospital. We are seeing a worrying increase in the number of patients on trolleys across wards.
“Patient and nurse safety and wellbeing must be a priority”
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