Nurses claim the two hospitals in Clare’s bordering counties have been the busiest in the country this month.
The latest trolley watch analysis from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation shows the level of overcrowding increased marginally at University Hospital Limerick in February, while trolley numbers at Galway University Hospital jumped by almost a quarter.
However, the number of admitted patients waiting for a bed at Ennis Hospital decreased significantly.
The INMO has warned this month has been the worst February on record for hospital overcrowding, with 11,595 patients across the country treated without a hospital bed.
Figures compiled by the nurses union shows University Hospital Limerick remained the busiest in the country, with 1,978 admitted patients recorded on trolleys, a marginal increase of 40 on the same month last year.
It marks an 11% reduction on 2024, however, when trolley numbers peaked for the month of February.
At University Hospital Galway, figures jumped by 23% over the past four weeks to 1,263, which is the highest number recorded there since records began.
In contrast, at Ennis Hospital, trolley numbers reduced by 38% to 110.
In a statement to Clare FM, the INMO says the national figures indicate a failure to adequately staff services in both hospital and community services.
It goes on to say that its members claim there’s simply no way to provide safe care in conditions where there are 50 to 100 patients on trolleys every day, and this impact on patients, alongside the physical and mental toll on staff, is simply unacceptable.
The union insists that staffing numbers need to be brought in line with healthcare needs, as a matter of urgency.
