A record equaling 81 patients have been left waiting for beds at University Hospital Limerick once again today.
The latest figures from the INMO show 45 of those were on trolleys in the Emergency Department, with a further 36 being accommodated in overflow areas of wards.
It comes as the latest trolleywatch analysis shows a 57% jump in the level of overcrowding at the Dooradoyle facility across the month of September.
Last month was exceptionally busy at University Hospital Limerick, and the latest analysis from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation shows 1,405 patients were left waiting for beds across the four weeks.
That’s a jump of 511 on the same month in 2018, and more than double the number only six years ago.
And that trend appears to be continuing as a new month begins, with a record-equaling 81 patients left waiting on trolleys at the Dooradoyle facility today.
It’s the second time in as many weeks that number has been recorded there and only the fourth time in history.
The INMO has described the rising trolley numbers nationally as “simply astonishing”, especially outside of winter, and has warned it’s placing a massive strain on frontline staff and seriously worsening patient care.
The union says Ireland needs to reform its health service and Sláintecare is the clear path forward, but says it will take real investment and a shift towards primary care.
Clare’s Senator has described the figures as unacceptable.
Fine Gael’s Martin Conway has been telling Clare FM’s Fiona Cahill that the opening of the new 60 bed modular unit will have a positive impact but he’s calling on the HSE to redouble their efforts to alleviate pressure in the short term.
