12,024 admitted patients went without beds in Ireland’s hospitals this month, according to a new analysis by the INMO. This is the second-worst month for overcrowding on record.
January 2020 saw record high levels of overcrowding on the 6th and 7th of January, where 760 patients received care on trolleys and chairs.
The INMO is calling for political leaders to use the election to set out how they will fix the ongoing trolley crisis in Ireland’s hospitals.
The worst-hit hospitals in January 2020 included:
- University Hospital Limerick: 1,215
- Cork University Hospital: 1,107
- University Hospital Galway: 872
- South Tipperary General Hospital: 824
- Mater Hospital, Dublin: 607
INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, said:
To show real leadership on health, political leaders need to set out how they will grow capacity, recruit more staff, and really kickstart the Sláintecare reforms.
It’s not rocket science: we know how to fix the health service. The plan is there. All we need is the investment and political will to back up manifesto promises.
If members of the public are concerned about the health service, I’d ask them to raise it as a priority with any canvassers who come to their door.