The level of overcrowding at the region’s main hospital jumped by 66% this month.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s latest analysis shows 1,885 admitted patients were left waiting for beds at University Hospital Limerick across the month of August.
The INMO’s latest trolley watch analysis shows this has been the worst August for overcrowding since the nurses’ union began counting trolleys almost two decades ago.
Over 9,720 admitted patients were left waiting for beds in the country’s hospitals over the last four and a half weeks, with University Hospital Limerick once again the busiest.
1,885 patients were recorded on trolleys at the Dooradoyle facility this month, a rise of 755 on the same period in 2022 and the highest number ever recorded at any hospital during the month of August.
Ennis General Hospital also saw an increase in trolley numbers to 28 from 18 in the same month last year.
The INMO has described the national figures as a warning shot for a dangerous winter in hospitals, saying there’s no doubt the pattern of difficult and dangerous times in our hospitals will continue over the coming months.
