The number of people waiting on trolleys at the region’s main hospital last month more than quadrupled compared to the same month a decade ago.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says it’s ’embarrassed’ at the latest figures contained in its monthly TrolleyWatch report.
Latest data from the INMO shows 1,300 people were waiting on trolleys throughout the month of January 2022 at University Hospital Limerick.
That’s more than 37 percent higher than the next busiest facility, which was Letterkenny University Hospital at 817.
UHL’s total is the highest monthly number since the union began recording such data back in 2006.
The total number of people waiting for a bed there has climbed steadily since January 2012, when 304 patients throughout the month were on trolleys.
The analysis follows two days of record breaking attendances at the Dooradoyle facility last week, which has prompted calls for both an independent review into the matter and suggestions of an elective-only hospital in the Midwest region.
The INMO says it’s ’embarrassed’ by the figures contained in the report, and its members are ‘tired’ of apologising to patients for their standard of care.
It’s understood attendances at UHL’s emergency department remain high this week, with management asking patients to consider all care options before presenting to the facility.
