Over 11,289 patients on trolleys in January 2023

11,289 patients have been without a hospital bed this January according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s TrolleyWatch figures.

“A lack of adequate planning has put unnecessary stress on nurses and the patients they are trying to provide care for throughout the month of January,” INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said.

“The number of patients on trolleys in wards outside our emergency departments have been unacceptably high.

“This practice should not be allowed to continue as a measure to try take pressure off our emergency departments.

“According to two recent opinion polls, over 75% of people would not visit an Emergency Department. The strategy of telling people to not attend hospital will have knock-on effects across the health service for months to come.

“We cannot continue to accept the wait until things get unbearably bad approach before an attempt is made to lessen the pressure on our public hospital system. Nurses and their patients deserve better than this.”

The top 5 most overcrowded hospitals for January 2023 include:

1. University Hospital Limerick (1180 patients)
2. Cork University Hospital (1145 patients)
3. University Hospital Galway (728 patients)
4. Letterkenny University Hospital (650 patients)
5. St Vincent’s University Hospital (594 patients)

Dublin Hospital Trolly Watch Analysis January to January 2006 to 2023