More than 8,055 patients were left without a hospital bed in August, according to new figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), which has warned of a looming winter crisis unless urgent action is taken.
The INMO said the number of people being treated on trolleys continues to raise serious concerns about safety, dignity and recovery, particularly among older patients.
General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha described the situation as “a serious breach of human dignity” and warned that the health system is not prepared for the months ahead.
“The number of patients cared for on trolleys and the length of time spent on trolleys, particularly older people, has been a cause of concern this summer,” she said.
“Our members have raised this issue as a serious breach of human dignity which impacts on the potential recovery and indeed the treatment of the issues causing people to attend emergency departments in the first place.
“This is a particularly acute issue in hospitals in the west and midwest where overcrowding has been out-of-control for much of the month of August.”
She said Ireland must heed warnings from abroad, pointing to Australia’s record-breaking flu season as a sign of what could be coming.
“Our public health system cannot cope with a deluge of respiratory illnesses over the coming months,” she cautioned.
The INMO has now called on each HSE regional health authority to set out in detail how it plans to reduce overcrowding in hospitals, both in terms of the number of patients on trolleys and the length of time they are left waiting.
“Those who depend on our health services to function deserve to know what the HSE will have in place to ensure that care can be provided safely in the community over this traditionally busy time,” Ní Sheaghdha said.
“Unless we see a hospital-by-hospital plan to tackle overcrowding, we are in for a very bleak winter in Irish hospitals which will see nurses and patients in extremely unsafe circumstances.”
She also warned that nurses and other healthcare staff will not continue to work in unsafe conditions, urging the Government and the HSE to speed up recruitment and remove “needless bureaucratic delays” in staffing.
“Predictable surges of healthcare needs must have a planned approach to deal with them,” she said.
“If the Government and HSE are serious about retaining those who already work in the health service, meaningful action must be taken to ensure safe care conditions for both patients and staff.
No nurse wants to have to care for patients in sub-optimal conditions.”
The figures come as overcrowding in Irish hospitals has become a persistent issue over the summer, raising fears that this winter could be one of the most difficult in years.