Medics’ anger at trolley crisis

The Government has systematically failed to address underlying problems leading to the overcrowding crisis at emergency departments, says the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine (IAEM).

The absence of available acute hospital beds has directly contributed to overcrowding in EDs, it claims.

The criticism came as the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation recorded 387 patients on trolleys yesterday. “Instead of addressing the root cause of the current worsening of emergency department crowding, the response of the Department of Health and HSE to the matter proves just how dysfunctional Irish healthcare is,” the IAEM says.