HSE staff cuts see one in 10 critical care beds unused

Almost one in 10 critical care beds in Irish hospitals are not being used due to staffing shortages.

Figures published by the HSE show that 22 out of 259 beds meant for treatment of the most seriously ill patients were not operational last year because of a shortage of nursing staff, despite funding being in place.

The HSE’s annual critical care bed capacity census for 2016 also reveals that a further 72 bed spaces were available but not resourced across the 26 hospitals with intensive care units (ICUs) and high dependency units (HDUs).