The top five most overcrowded hospitals in the country this January are University Hospital Limerick, the most overcrowded by far with 2,073 admitted patients on trolleys at some stage followed by Cork University Hospital with 1632 patients on trolleys, Galway University is the third most overcrowded with 1041 patients spending time on a trolley followed by Letterkenny and Sligo hospitals with 709 and 701 patients respectively on trolleys during January.
The overcrowding has led to hospitals cancelling elective care. 203 patients have had their procedures cancelled in Nenagh hospital since January 8th due to overcrowding in UHL. In UHL restrictions on elective care begun in early December and all electives were cancelled between December 27th and January 15th except for the most urgent.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha says “another January has passed with hospital overcrowding remaining a serious problem in Irish hospitals. There were only three times during January when less than 500 people were waiting on trolleys, chairs or other inappropriate bed spaces.” The nursing union wants more beds and more patient-facing staff to be put in place.
Today 112 admitted patients are on trolleys in UHL, 12 in Nenagh and 6 at Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel. Nationally 569 admitted patients are waiting on a hospital bed today according to the INMO.
