Report ranges of overcrowding have been seen in Limerick, Cork and Galway College Hospitals
Greater than 122,000 sufferers, together with over 2,000 kids, have been admitted to hospital with no mattress in 2024 in keeping with figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
A complete of 122,186 sufferers have been on trolleys final yr, with a major proportion ready greater than six hours for an acceptable mattress.
With flu instances presently at excessive ranges, the primary two days of the brand new yr has additionally seen massive numbers on trolleys. In response to the INMO’s Trolley Watch information, 571 admitted sufferers have been ready for beds yesterday morning. A complete of 375 sufferers have been ready within the emergency division, whereas 196 have been in wards elsewhere within the hospital.
Phil Ni Sheaghdha, INMO Basic Secretary
“We all know that due to the excessive fee of hospital admissions of flu and different respiratory diseases, our members are presently working in very troublesome circumstances,” mentioned INMO Basic Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha.
“The variety of sufferers being handled on trolleys each in our emergency departments and on wards may have implications for an infection management. Inserting trolleys on ward corridors the place there aren’t any home windows or correct air movement techniques render the areas unsafe for workers and sufferers.
The highest 5 most overcrowded hospitals for 2024 embody:
- College Hospital Limerick: 23,203 sufferers
- Cork College Hospital: 13,162 sufferers
- College Hospital Galway: 10,983 sufferers
- Sligo College Hospital: 7,618 sufferers
- St Vincent’s College Hospital: 6,922 sufferers
In Limerick, Cork and Galway, the 2024 figures characterize report ranges of overcrowding for these hospitals.
Ms Ní Sheaghdha pointed to current analysis by the Well being Data and High quality Authority which discovered that 72 per cent of sufferers are spending greater than six hours on a trolley.
“The medical analysis is evident, spending greater than six hours on a trolley has detrimental affect on long-term well being outcomes, significantly for older individuals. That is now a human rights concern and one which the INMO will pursue with like-minded organisations.”
With a brand new Authorities set to be shaped early in 2025, the Irish Medical Organisation has referred to as for healthcare to be the central pillar within the new Programme for Authorities.
IMO president Dr Denis McCauley
“The whole system of GP and hospital well being providers mustn’t come to a disaster level due to a predictable leap in sickness from one thing like a seasonal flu,” mentioned IMO president Dr Denis McCauley. “We’re pushing our well being providers too exhausting, for an excessive amount of of the yr and there’s no spare capability to deal with one thing like a flu outbreak.
“The apply of cancelling elective surgical procedures each January is just not ok for sufferers. We should plan and fund what’s required to satisfy the well being wants of our sufferers and which means guaranteeing there are sufficient beds, sufficient medical doctors and sufficient healthcare professionals to have the ability to deal with sufferers in a secure and well timed method.”
Dr McCauley mentioned that the primary motion of the brand new Authorities in healthcare have to be to reverse the 2024 Pay and Numbers Technique, which he described as basically the recruitment embargo in disguise with a ‘vastly damaging’ staffing restrict.
He mentioned that the following Authorities should quickly enhance workforce and mattress capability to deal with the wants of rising inhabitants numbers and to ease the demand on the well being service. “For years we now have tolerated enormous numbers of sufferers on trolleys, work environments for medical doctors which might be stuffed with threat for them and their sufferers, too few medical doctors and rising ready lists throughout key specialties. That is unacceptable and can’t proceed.”
He added that the following Authorities should additionally decide to a full evaluate of how psychological well being providers are resourced and delivered, and help Basic Observe with an elevated concentrate on persistent illness administration programmes and ladies’s well being.
