Unacceptable number of patients on trolleys this week

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has called for all non-emergency activity to be curtailed in our acute hospitals.
 
This comes as 2,150 patients have been on trolleys since Monday (17.1.2022).

 
INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said:
 
There has been an unacceptable number of patients on trolleys this week. Day after day we are seeing over double the number of patients on trolleys compared to the same day in 2021.
 
The directive from the Chief Executive of the HSE that was issued at the start of January for hospitals to curtail all non-emergency activity must be extended until the start of February in order to allow our members to carry out their work safely.
 
Covid is still very much a feature of the day-to-day work of our nurses and midwives. We are still seeing high numbers of COVID-related hospital admissions and nurses in our ICUs are treating very sick patients. While Government will today discuss a reopening of society, COVID is still very much working its way through our hospitals and healthcare settings.