by Louise Doyle
THE Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is calling for “urgent talks” to address mounting pressures in hospitals amid latest trolley figures posing a “high risk event”.
The organisation has said each hospital group and the HSE must “outline immediately” what they are doing to reduce significant pressures in what it has described as “intolerable environments”.
The move comes after latest trolley watch figures provided by the INMO showed 532 patients were waiting for beds in hospitals across the country yesterday.
A total of 419 patients were waiting in the emergency department, while 113 were in wards elsewhere in the hospital.
Twenty-three patients were on trolleys at Letterkenny University Hospital yesterday, according to the figures.
Nine patients were in the emergency department, 14 patients were on wards.
University Hospital Limerick had the highest number of patients on trolleys (121). Forty patients were on trolleys at Cavan General Hospital yesterday, and 33 at St James’s Hospital.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said described yesterday’s figures as a “high risk event”.
She said such numbers were usually seen in the “height of winter”.
She said INMO members are concerned about the spread of infections such as Strep A, Norovirus and indeed Covid-19.
“It is clear that the spread of viruses is going to have a detrimental impact on patient flow throughout our hospitals over the coming weeks.
“While University Hospital Limerick has seen over one hundred patients a day on trolleys since September 19th, there is a significant amount of people on trolleys in each corner of the country, with high numbers attending in Cork University Hospital, St. James’s Hospital, Sligo University Hospital, Letterkenny University Hospital, University Hospital Kerry and Naas General Hospital.”
Ms Ní Sheaghdha said the INMO has been calling for a “solid plan” to deal with hospital overcrowding, with a strong emphasis on infection control since early summer.
“We are now urgently looking to meet each individual hospital group to hear how they plan to deal with the overcrowding crisis that is materialising in the vast majority of Irish hospitals and how they will protect our members and the patients in their care.
“Each hospital group should be engaging with their local communities and be upfront about the level of overcrowding and unsafe staffing in each hospital. Those who need care in our hospitals deserve to know what they can expect upon arrival at any ED.
“Each hospital group and the HSE must outline immediately what they are doing to reduce the pressure in these intolerable environments.
“We will be meeting with INMO members in the most impacted hospitals urgently to discuss how we can approach the winter ahead.”
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