'An overcrowding milestone': Record number waiting on beds in Irish hospitals in 2022

A stock picture of a hospital trolley

2022 has been the worst year for overcrowding in Irish hospitals on record, with over 118,000 patients being left without a bed so far this year.

The grim statistic comes as part of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation's (INMO) Trolley Watch initiative, with the group noting that the numbers are "extremely concerning".

118,662 patients have been left without a hospital bed in 2022 — beating the previous record of 118,367 which was set in 2021. 

On Wednesday morning, 624 people were waiting on a bed in Irish hospitals.

The INMO has called on the Government to "do better" for everyone involved.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “Today’s trolley figures are extremely concerning, with no sign of pressure easing in our emergency departments compared to previous Decembers.

“We have reached an overcrowding milestone today in that 2022 is officially the worst year for hospital overcrowding on record. This is not something to be celebrated.

“It is clear that there is a dearth of ambition to tackle this extremely serious problem."

A stock picture of a patient in a hospital. Picture: PA

The five hospitals with the most patients left waiting between January 4 and December 21 were:

• University Hospital Limerick – 17,640 
• Cork University Hospital – 12,133 
• Galway University Hospital – 10,012 
• Sligo University Hospital – 7,977
• St. Vincent’s University Hospital – 7,406

Ms Ní Sheaghdha continued: "We commend that some hospital groups have curtailed non-urgent care and asked that people seek alternative care pathways if they can but it is clear that the HSE and the Government are not taking this issue as seriously as they should be.

Our members are under serious pressure, particularly those working in triage and in emergency departments. Long delays, inadequate bed space and unsafe staffing are making it impossible to provide safe care.

"Silence from decision makers shows that this out-of-control overcrowding is accepted when it absolutely shouldn’t be. The State must do better for our nurses, healthcare workers and patients sick enough to be admitted to hospital."