11,493 patients go without a bed in November

Over 11,493 patients, including 434 children, went without a bed in Irish hospitals in November according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s TrolleyWatch.

The most overcrowded hospitals include:

• University Hospital Limerick (1962 patients)
• Cork University Hospital (1159 patients)
• Sligo University Hospital (804 patients)
• Galway University Hospital (751 patients)
• Mater University Hospital (698 patients)

Commenting on the level of overcrowding this November, INMO General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said:

The sheer volume of patients who were admitted to hospitals without a bed this November are far too high. The call has to be made now ahead of what is going to be a dangerous situation to curtail non-urgent elective activity and ensure that our private hospitals are available to assist. There is absolutely no point in waiting until we are mid-crisis to act. 

The current moratorium on recruitment which is predicted to get worse in the early part of next year will require further curtailment of services and the HSE must ensure that that is planned in order to avoid this continuous discommoding of patients on the day of procedures.