#Hospital overcrowding

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

Mid-West breaking point: What will it take for the State to fix hospital care in Limerick?
Mid-West breaking point: What will it take for the State to fix hospital care in Limerick?
Doctors, nurses and campaigners urge the Government to treat Hiqa’s warning on Mid-West hospital capacity as a national emergency requiring long-term investment

Sat, 01 Nov, 2025

Government must declare 'capacity emergency' at UHL, hospital's medical board warns
Government must declare 'capacity emergency' at UHL, hospital's medical board warns
"Hiqa stated baldly this is posing a risk to patient safety, so if you don’t regard that as an emergency, I don’t know what is," said Dr Joe Devlin, deputy chairman of the University Hospital Limerick medical board.

Tue, 28 Oct, 2025

Patient receiving chemotherapy at the hospital
Cancer patient's surgery 'was cancelled due to overcrowding'
Irish Cancer Society to tell Oireachtas health committee about delays and failures in treatment

Wed, 22 Oct, 2025

Limerick welcomes Ireland's first new large hospital in almost 20 years
Limerick welcomes Ireland's first new large hospital in almost 20 years
The Bon Secours Limerick project included a design team of 24 professionals, and features a nature-inspired interior, flower-shaped light fittings, and cutting-edge technology.

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

Building another hospital to tackle overcrowding in the Mid-West 'on the table', says minister
Building another hospital to tackle overcrowding in the Mid-West 'on the table', says minister
The minister made the comments at the habitually overcrowded University Hospital, where she officially opened a €105m, 6,700, 96-bed block on Monday

Mon, 13 Oct, 2025

Mercy Hospital ED under severe strain as patients wait over 24 hours for beds
Mercy Hospital ED under severe strain as patients wait over 24 hours for beds
Mercy University Hospital is struggling with severe overcrowding as 24 patients remain on trolleys and the HSE appeals for alternatives

Thu, 09 Oct, 2025

Irish hospitals now so overcrowded they breach safe occupancy limits, report finds
Irish hospitals now so overcrowded they breach safe occupancy limits, report finds
Up to 934 extra beds needed in Cork and Kerry, to include up to 123 for day patients and up to 811 for in-patient overnight beds, ESRI data shows

Thu, 02 Oct, 2025

Is Hiqa's UHL review another overcrowding report to be left on a shelf until the next tragedy?
Is Hiqa's UHL review another overcrowding report to be left on a shelf until the next tragedy?
The long-awaited review of what needs to change for patients in Limerick was never going to please everyone, writes Niamh Griffin

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

Limerick tops trolley figures again with 138 people awaiting admission 
Hiqa warns Limerick hospital crisis needs urgent action with beds running out in Midwest
Health watchdog warns University Hospital Limerick faces dangerous overcrowding, urging immediate plans to expand capacity or add a second hospital

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

First opening of a new hospital since 2007 set for this week
First opening of a new hospital since 2007 set for this week
The €213m investment in the the Bon Secours hospital includes the first private cardiac cath-lab for the Mid-West region, covering Limerick, Clare, and Tipperary, as well as neighbouring counties.

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Jennifer Horgan: The betrayal of Ireland’s elderly is happening in plain sight
Jennifer Horgan: The betrayal of Ireland’s elderly is happening in plain sight
Michael D Higgins’ poetry forces us to confront Ireland’s failures in caring for its elderly, both within families and at State level

Fri, 12 Sep, 2025

In the Hospital Sick Male Patient Sleeps on the Bed. Heart Rate Monitor Equipment is on His Finger.
HSE warns it cannot fill vacancies even with agencies as staff shortage crisis deepens
HSE agency staff spending reached €726m last year, with even vulnerable patients increasingly cared for by temporary workers, new figures reveal

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

Hospital surgery corridor
Almost 26,000 assaults on HSE staff over four years 
Wait times blamed for tensions in hospitals

Sat, 09 Aug, 2025

Hospital Stock
Waiting list for endoscopy test climbs by more than 4,000 in five months despite €24m fund
Endoscopy tests can identify disease, including cancer

Fri, 08 Aug, 2025

More than 9,000 treated on trolley or 'inappropriate space' in Irish hospitals last month
More than 9,000 treated on trolley or 'inappropriate space' in Irish hospitals last month
Worst-affected hospital was University Hospital Limerick, with 2,257 people treated on trolleys

Fri, 01 Aug, 2025

Rise in covid-19 cases sees surge in presentations to CUH emergency department
Rise in covid-19 cases sees surge in presentations to CUH emergency department
The increase in ED presentations broght about by the rise in covid-19 cases earlier this week prompted hospital chiefs to issue a public appeal for people to consider all care options.

Thu, 31 Jul, 2025

Close up of doctor woman hands typing on laptop siting on a desk at the office
Hospitals dashboard data must be seen in proper context, say consultants
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association called for analysis to reflect outcomes, and not just the volume of patients seen in hospitals

Fri, 27 Jun, 2025

Waiting seats for patients in the hospital
Online hospital dashboard lets public view a wealth of current Irish health data
Department of Health dashboard offers information ranging from waiting lists to spending and staffing 

Thu, 26 Jun, 2025

Nothing will improve at UHL without a problem-solving culture
Nothing will improve at UHL without a problem-solving culture
News again this week that UHL's A&E appears to be 'out of control' won't cause any surprise - but it will cause stress and worry for thousands of vulnerable patients, writes Siobhain Danaher

Thu, 19 Jun, 2025

Nurse sitting in a corridor while holding her head
'It just sounds like it’s out of control': Fears raised as UHL still under pressure
INMO counted 86 people on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick and five in Ennis on Tuesday

Wed, 18 Jun, 2025

Hiqa review of emergency services pushed out until September
Hiqa review of emergency services pushed out until September
Hiqa says it is waiting for the ESRI to finish an analysis of emergency care demand up to 2030 by region

Mon, 16 Jun, 2025

Ireland's two children's intensive care units 'under strain' from severe overcrowding, audit finds
Ireland's two children's intensive care units 'under strain' from severe overcrowding, audit finds
Audit found very high occupancy rates of over 95% during 2023 at the units in CHI at Temple Street and CHI at Crumlin hospitals

Wed, 04 Jun, 2025

Dr Chris Luke: Policing A&E should be treated like any other medical intervention
S Dr Chris Luke: Policing A&E should be treated like any other medical intervention
The news that gardaí are to be rostered to do shifts at the Mercy University Hospital in Cork may have surprised some, but to those of us who have chosen a career in acute healthcare, it is merely a reminder of a grim reality, writes Dr Chris Luke

Mon, 02 Jun, 2025

Patient beds in hospitals furniture interior decoration
Country will need 8,000 more public hospital beds by 2040, report says
The demand for more hospital beds will come about because of Ireland's growing and ageing population, according to the ESRI report

Wed, 28 May, 2025

Focused in an intense and emotional situation
Three ICUs had no urgent beds for 100-plus days last year
Beaumont Hospital, St Vincent’s University Hospital, and Limerick University Hospital were the worst hit — but almost all Irish hospital ICUs were above 90% capacity for more than 100 days in 2024

Mon, 12 May, 2025

Attack with fire extinguisher, punches, and racist comments among daily assaults on nurses
Attack with fire extinguisher, punches, and racist comments among daily assaults on nurses
INMO conference delegates call for greater security in hospitals to protect nurses from abuse and harassment

Thu, 08 May, 2025

A&E nurses strike
Assaults of nurses 'are going up', conference told as INMO calls for legislation on staff levels
An INMO survey also revealed one in five nurses and midwives were going to their GP for work-related stress

Wed, 07 May, 2025

Why is Beaumont getting a new emergency department and not UHL? asks campaigner
Why is Beaumont getting a new emergency department and not UHL? asks campaigner
Member of the Midwest Hospital Campaign group Marie McMahon asked: 'Are we less important than patients on the other side of the country?'

Tue, 29 Apr, 2025

Hospital stock
Doctors raise concerns about HSE plan to roster seven-day working week
HSE chief Bernard Gloster outlined plan for seven-day roster to delegates at the Irish Medical Organisation AGM, but unions have questioned practicalities of proposed changes

Mon, 28 Apr, 2025

Consultants call for change to system of discharging patients from hospitals
Consultants call for change to system of discharging patients from hospitals
The 'criteria-led discharging' system increases the number of healthcare workers who can discharge a patient based on certain criteria

Mon, 31 Mar, 2025

File Photo Today HIQA will release Report into Portlaoise Hospital.
Over 1,100 submissions made to Hiqa review of emergency services in Mid-West
Hiqa was commissioned under the previous government to carry out a review of urgent and emergency healthcare services across Limerick, Clare, and north Tipperary

Wed, 19 Mar, 2025

Health watchdog review on emergency services in Mid-West now with health minister
Health watchdog review on emergency services in Mid-West now with health minister
Hiqa was asked to consider whether a second emergency department was needed at University Hospital Limerick

Thu, 06 Mar, 2025

Launch of three Women's Health Fund projects
Health minister ‘wasn’t pleased’ at hospital consultants weekend roster
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said she met with HSE boss Bernard Gloster over recent weeks to set up a plan to roster more consultants and senior decision makers over the weekends

Wed, 05 Mar, 2025

A hospital trolley
Almost 600 patients without a hospital bed after flu season pressure eases
There were 193 people across all hospitals with the flu, down from 869 at one point in late December

Mon, 03 Mar, 2025

Performing surgery
Sharp rise in hospital cancellations 'shameful'
Paediatric surgeons have expressed 'significant concerns' around staffing levels

Thu, 20 Feb, 2025

In the Hospital Sick Male Patient Sleeps on the Bed. Heart Rate Monitor Equipment is on His Finger.
Is consultants working Saturdays the solution to the trolley crisis? 
The health minister has linked the crisis to low numbers of consultants working weekends and bank holiday Saturdays

Wed, 19 Feb, 2025

Social Democrats deputy leader accuses HSE of manipulating waiting list figures
Social Democrats deputy leader accuses HSE of manipulating waiting list figures
According to recent figures supplied by the HSE, the average assessment of need period is now over two years despite a legal requirement that an assessment be carried out within six months

Wed, 19 Feb, 2025

New overcrowding record for UHL with 130 on trolleys at under-siege hospital 
Almost 800 people unable to get a hospital bed 
People are urged to seek support from pharmacists, GPs, SouthDoc, or injury units unless they are seriously ill

Wed, 05 Feb, 2025

stretcher
January 2025 worst month for hospital overcrowding on record
Over 13,972 people were treated without beds, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation 

Sat, 01 Feb, 2025

TD whose grandfather spent five days on UHL trolley sees 'no sign of easing' in hospital overcrowding
TD whose grandfather spent five days on UHL trolley sees 'no sign of easing' in hospital overcrowding
The Midwest Hospital Campaign heard that some patients in UHL were considering travelling to Galway or Cork instead for treatment

Fri, 31 Jan, 2025

Cork hospital patients seeing 'more of the same' overcrowding linked to flu and storm
Cork hospital patients seeing 'more of the same' overcrowding linked to flu and storm
There were 58 patients on trolleys or chairs at Cork University Hospital and 17 at the Mercy by Monday morning

Mon, 27 Jan, 2025

HEALTH COMMITTEE
Flu deaths reach 94 as nurses warn of 'dangerous' hospital overcrowding
Nurses claim hospital managers are placing very ill patients in high-risk wards against clinical advice, and that overcrowding has seen more than 10,000 patients on trolleys this month

Thu, 23 Jan, 2025

Hospital corridor with gurneys
More than 80 hospital patients spend over a day waiting for beds
Researchers and doctors have warned repeatedly of the serious risks, including of death, from even one night on a trolley

Fri, 17 Jan, 2025

Flu levels 'very high', with 56 deaths linked to virus this winter
Flu levels 'very high', with 56 deaths linked to virus this winter
Last week saw 801 people admitted to hospitals with flu, including six admitted to intensive care units

Thu, 16 Jan, 2025

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Mick Clifford
Mick Clifford

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