Over 10,000 people treated on trolleys in June

Michael Bolton

There were 10,394 people treated on trolleys in July, according to figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

The union states that this is the first July on record that trolley figures have exceeded 10,000.

2,172 people were on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

The INMO said the Health Service Executive must take exceptional measures in UHL as the hospital continues to face significant challenges.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said: “This July has been like no other for nurses and midwives working in our public health system.

"We are now heading into a summer bank holiday weekend where one major hospital, University Hospital Limerick, has advised for people to seek other care pathways rather than attend their local emergency department.

"The fact that these type of announcements are being made in the middle of summer is a huge red flag warning for what’s to come in winter.

“In relation to University Hospital Limerick specifically the level of overcrowding on the Dooradoyle site must be considered a major incident. The Health Service Executive need to ensure that senior decision makers are on site over the weekend and well into the coming weeks. The HSE must deploy all resources necessary and act as they would in a major incident.

“It is hard to see how nurses and midwives can be expected to remain motivated in their roles at the moment.

“The lack of movement on public service pay makes our members feel undervalued and unappreciated. Meanwhile they are contending with record overcrowding that was previously unimaginable in summer months.

“The stress and excessive workload is truly relentless now, and at the end of the work day our members must figure out how to make their pay stretch further every month.

“At work and in their own lives, nurses and midwives are doing more with less, and it’s simply not sustainable. They are being squeezed on all sides, and at some point something has to give.

“Nursing is a career that requires a lot of personal responsibility. Support from employer is sadly lacking. We have had too many examples of an absence of support following critical incidents. The INMO is of the view that employers are not fulfilling their health and safety obligations, compromising staff wellbeing.”

919 patients were treated on trolleys in University Hospital Galway through July, while 800 were on trolleys in Sligo University Hospital.

On Friday morning, 362 people were on trolleys in hospitals across the country.