Children’s Hospitals overcrowding a concern

517 patients are without a bed in Irish hospitals today according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s TrolleyWatch.

46 children are without a bed in Irish hospitals, the highest day on record for paediatric overcrowding.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said:

Today we are seeing an unprecedented number of children on hospital trolleys. The level of overcrowding we are seeing in our paediatric hospitals is very worrying.

This is not only dangerous for staff and for patients 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.

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.

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