Forty-six children are without beds in Irish hospitals this morning – the highest number ever recorded for paediatric overcrowding.
A total of 517 people are on trolleys today in hospitals across the State, with 41 of those at University Hospital Galway and 22 at Portiuncula Hospital.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said that today’s level of overcrowding in our paediatric hospitals is ‘very worrying’.
She said that this is not only dangerous for staff and for patients, but that it is simply no way to safely treat sick children who are admitted to hospital.
“It also places a further burden on families who have to experience long waits while accompanying a sick child, potentially overnight,” said Ms Ní Sheaghdha.
“INMO officials are engaging with management across CHI sites to request the prioritisation of emergency admissions.
“Staffing in our children’s hospitals must be a focus for the HSE and Department of Health in the short and long term.”
