There were more than 1,000 patients on trolleys in University Hospital Galway last month amid serious overcrowding.
Over 9,437 patients, including 70 children were admitted to hospital without a bed in the month of June according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
UHG was the third most overcrowded hospital in the country in the month of June, with 1,051 patients left waiting on trolleys.
Those figures break down into 803 people left waiting on trolleys in the Emergency Department, and another 248 patients in the wards with no proper bed for them.
Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe was under far less severe pressure last month, with 80 patients on trolleys in total over the month of June.
Of those, 54 patients were on trolleys in the Emergency Department, and another 26 went without a proper bed in the wards.
The top 5 most overcrowded hospitals include:
- University Hospital Limerick – 1666
- University Hospital Galway – 1051
- Cork University Hospital – 824
- Sligo University Hospital – 617
- St Vincent’s University Hospital – 502
INMO General Secretary Phil Nà Sheaghdha said, “The fact that over 9,437 people were treated on trolleys in June is clear evidence that our health system is still far too reliant on a hospital system that that doesn’t have enough beds.”‘
“The Government must prioritise investment in building and scaling up capacity to meet this demand. This can only be done by increasing bed capacity and also employing nurses to staff these beds.”
The HSE’s hiring freeze is making it harder to provide “safe and timely” care due to difficulty in filling rosters with low staffing levels.
“Our members want to be able to provide safe care to patients but also be assured that their own safety in the workplace is being guaranteed — neither are guaranteed when they are working in overcrowded conditions with unsafe staffing levels.”
She said that the recruitment freezing is resulting in “own goal after own goal” in the health services.
“The development of community services is critical to reducing the pressure on the hospital system. The recruitment embargo is making it impossible to fill posts in the community and therefore having a direct impact on the ability to provide care outside of the hospital system.”
“The INMO is consulting with our members who work in the community on the impact the recruitment freeze is having on them.”
“We are now urgently seeking that the HSE reengage with the INMO at the Workplace Relations Commission on their staffing plan for 2024, which still hasn’t been published at the mid-point of the year.”
