The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has today confirmed that there are 613 admitted patients waiting for beds this morning.
This is according to today’s INMO Trolley Watch which explained that 485 patients are waiting in the emergency department, while 128 are in wards elsewhere in the hospital.
Later this afternoon, it was confirmed that 30 of those waiting for access to beds are children.
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Speaking about these numbers on Thursday, INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha described the situation as “concerning” and noted a 500% increase on the same day last year in terms of the number of children.
She is calling on the HSE and the Department of Health to “tackle” this issue now in order to minimise this level of overcrowding over the months ahead.
“We are still seeing extremely high numbers of patients being admitted to hospital without a bed,” Ní Sheaghdha said.
“Over 2,329 people have been on trolleys so far this week.
“The pressure on our members is not abating in anyway, particularly along the western seaboard and in the Midwest.
“The number of children who are on trolleys is particularly concerning, with a 500% increase on the same day last year.
“We are seeing regular patterns of high instances of children on trolleys. This needs to be tackled.
“The HSE and Department of Health need to outline what exact measures they will be taking in order to minimise this level of overcrowding throughout the rest of the month and April”.
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