A&E crisis worsens with 38% increase in people treated on trolleys
During a 20-day period last month, a total of 378 patients were treated on trolleys.
This compares to just 273 recorded during a 19-day period in February by the Irish Nurses’ Organisation (INO).
The average number of people on trolleys rose from 14 per day in February to 18.9 during March.
Meanwhile, during March, the 239 people were treated on trolleys at the A&E Department at the Mercy Hospital, which was one less than the previous month.
It means an average of 12 people per day were treated on trolleys there.
The picture was far more encouraging at Kerry General Hospital in Tralee where 40 people were treated during the 20 days of records for March - an average of just two per day.
At CUH the figures peaked on March 3 and March 8 when 30 people each day were on trolleys.
For most of the time they continued to hover in the early to mid 20s.
At no time last month did figures enter the 20s in the Mercy Hospital. The peak number of people on trolleys occurred on March 22 when there were 17.
On three other days there were 15 but on one day, March 7, they dropped as low as three.
In Tralee the highest number of nine occurred on March 9. There were actually nine days, three of them in succession at the end of the month, where nobody had to be treated on a trolley in that A&E department.
Four months into her term as Minister for Health Mary Harney still has not tackled the growing problem, despite launching a €70 million plan to alleviate the situation. Angry nurses are planning nationwide protests.
INO industrial relations officer Michael Dineen said last month’s figures were the worst he had seen for some time.
“The figures have increased quite significantly. This has come despite a supposed initiative launched last December by Mary Harney,” Mr Dineen said.
He said nurses were “frustrated”.
The INO’s first protest in the region is planned for Cork University Hospital on Tuesday, April 12. Similar action will take place at the Mercy Hospital on April 21 and at Kerry General Hospital on April 26.
