Patient trolley crisis deepens in mid-west

THE patient trolley mayhem reached new crisis levels at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital yesterday.

A record number of patients ended up on trolleys at the A&E department, the Health Service Executive (HSE) admitted.

A spokesman said: “The HSE publishes a daily report on the numbers of patients waiting for beds in every Accident and Emergency department in the country. The numbers of patients waiting on trolleys this morning was 32 at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, and reached unprecedented levels. This is most unsatisfactory from the point of view of patients and staff, and all relevant personnel worked together to alleviate the situation.”