Health Minister: HSE figures do not show real extent of trolley use

Health Minister Dr James Reilly has admitted that HSE figures do not reflect the reality of the number of people on hospital trolleys.

Dr Reilly - who addressed the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) conference in Kilkenny today - said the INMO's counting method will be used by the HSE in future.

The Minister wants to reach a point where patients are either admitted to a ward or discharged within a six-hour period, as part of plans to address the crisis in A and E units.

However Dr Reilly says in the meantime a universal process of measuring the number of people on trolleys will be introduced:

"We drilled down and examined the figures and in fairness the INMO figures are closer to the reality than the HSE figures. I'm quite prepared to admit that," he said.