Record number of patients on hospital trolleys today

DUBLIN hospitals were under pressure today as the national figure for patients on trolleys reached a new record.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s (INMO) Trolley/Ward Watch figure revealed that a record number of 612 patients admitted for care were on trolleys in hospitals this morning.

Today’s figure comes at a time when the INMO’s analysis for 2016 confirms there were 93,621 admitted patients on trolleys during the year – another record.

According to the INMO, today’s figure is entirely predictable arising from the trend running right through November/December, which saw a significant deterioration in the daily trolley watch figures compared to previous years.

The INMO noted that today’s record figure of 612 must be compared to the figure of 495, which occurred in March 2006, when the situation was declared a “national emergency”.

INMO General Secretary, Liam Doran, said today’s figures were “truly shocking”.

“The compromising of care, not to mention the loss of privacy and dignity, cannot go unchallenged and must be acknowledged and addressed by health management,” he stated.

“We cannot allow this to become just another statistic and it must result in a fundamentally new approach to our health system as overcrowding continues to grow.”

Mr Doran also warned: “Our genuine fear is, based upon a number of factors including the incidence of influenza and closed beds due to staff shortages, that in the coming days, the situation may deteriorate still further.  An emergency response is now required and this must be forthcoming from health management immediately.”

In Dublin hospitals this morning, the total trolley figures (including ward) were: Beaumont -14; Connolly, Blanchardstown – 13; Mater -17; St James’s – 6; Tallaght – 22; St Vincent’s – 19 (no ward figures available).