The number of patients on trolleys in emergency departments waiting for a bed today is more than double than this day last year, latest figures from the HSE reveal.
The figures from their system known as ‘TrolleyGar’ were collected from hospital reports at 8am this morning. They show that 432 patients are waiting, with 241 waiting for more than nine hours.
Five of these patients are in children’s hospitals, with three of these children waiting for more than nine hours. The system also reveals that nearly 80 patients in total have been waiting for more than 24 hours.
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Since the HSE TrolleyGar figures focus on emergency departments only, they differ from the daily Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation figures. According to INMO’s figures, there were 465 patients waiting in the Emergency Department for a bed at 8am this morning, and further 105 waiting in wards elsewhere in the hospital.
St Vincent's Hospital is the worst affected hospital in Dublin, with 34 patients waiting. The reason for the spike in trolley figures is the rise in respiratory infections such as flu, RSV, and Covid-19.
Meanwhile, the INMO have said this year was the worst in record for hospital overcrowding. More than 120,000 patients including 2,777 children, went without a bed in Irish hospitals in 2022.
“Our members have spent this year working in a constant state of crisis,” an INMO spokeswoman said. “Nurses are unfortunately ending this year how they started it — firefighting intolerable overcrowding coupled with highly transmissable viruses and infections. INMO members in triage and emergency departments in Ireland’s busiest hospitals are highlighting how the conditions are comprising patient safety.”
The spokeswoman warned that the trolley figures could nearly double in the first weeks of January. She added: “The State cannot walk into the next week unprepared for what could be a severe overcrowding crisis.
“We have had silent acceptance from Government and the HSE on this type of overcrowding for far too long. The HSE have acknowledged that things are going to get worse in our hospitals before they get better but have not outlined what precise supports will be made available to our members in the coming days and weeks ahead."
The INMO is also calling for the HSE to develop a realistic plan to scale up capacity, warning the current state of Ireland’s health system is “extremely concerning”.
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