Today is the worst-ever day for hospital overcrowding with a record 760 admitted patients yet to be assigned beds at hospitals across the country.
The hospital under most pressure is again University Hospital Limerick with 92 patients on trolleys – up from its previous record-breaking high of 82.
The worst-hit hospitals, apart from UHL are Cork University Hospital at 56, University Hospital Galway at 47 and South Tipperary General Hospital where 40 are waiting for beds.
The INMO has noted that the number of patients on trolleys this morning would have filled the largest hospital in the state – St James with has 707 beds. It would also be the equivalent of twice the capacity of Letterkenny University Hospital.
The INMO is calling for a major incident protocol to be adopted across the country, as was done in March 2018. This would likely see all non-emergency admissions stopped, electives cancelled, and extra bed capacity sourced from the private and public sectors.
The union is also calling for an infection control plan, as overcrowding increases infection risks.
