Almost 400 patients waiting on trolleys

THERE were almost 400 patients on trolleys in hospitals across the country yesterday, a situation that was described as unsafe by a prominent patient advocate.

“I am very worried because it is unsafe,” said Stephen McMahon of the Irish Patients’ Association.

“Staff in emergency departments are having to deal with critically ill patients coming in the door as well as patients who should be moved to a ward,” said Mr McMahon.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), there were 389 patients on trolleys in emergency departments, compared with 288 on the same day last year — a 35% year-on-year increase.

INMO deputy general secretary David Hughes said acute hospitals were already in serious trouble heading into the winter.

“Overcrowding in hospitals is going to bring its own problems because it is only a matter of time before that leads to cross-infection,” said Mr Hughes.

Calling for the reopening of beds to alleviate the situation, Mr Hughes warned there would be disastrous consequences for patients if no action was taken. He said Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, which had 35 patients on trolleys yesterday, had closed 62 beds.

Beaumont was described as being in crisis mode by the nurses’ representative body earlier this week.

Mr Hughes described the situation at University Hospital Galway as chronic, with 48 patients on trolleys, the highest number.

“The Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar has 21 patients on trolleys. That’s a hospital that should not be in a crisis situation,” he said.

Mr Hughes said the Mid- Western Regional Hospital in Limerick had 26 patients on trolleys, the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise had 20, while Cavan General Hospital had 15.

“These hospitals would not normally feature on the trolley watch figures so it is clearly because of closed beds,” he said.

The Health Service Executive only responded with a one-line statement. It said it would be working with the new Special Delivery Unit which is tasked with cutting the rate of patients awaiting admission waiting on trolleys in emergency departments.

A spokesperson for Tallaght Hospital said its emergency department was no longer being used to accommodate admitted patients on trolleys awaiting transfer to in-patient beds. There were six patients on trolleys in the department yesterday.

The Irish Association for Emergency Medicine has called on all hospitals to stop placing patients awaiting admission on trolleys around its emergency department.