More than 10,000 people left waiting on hospital trolleys in February

Staff at University Hospital Limerick today wheeling a trolley carrying a patient into a corridor in the hospital’s cramped Emergency Department 

More than 10,000 people were left waiting for beds across Irish hospitals for February — the third-highest number since records have been tracked.

New data, released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), shows that 10,040 people were on trolleys for the month, an increase of 171 on the figure from 2022.

The group say that the month was "incredibly challenging", with general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha again repeating the call for plans to tackle overcrowding to be put in place by Government.

Since the INMO started tracking the data on their Trolley Watch service, only two years have seen higher numbers recorded for last month: February 2018 (11,014) and February 2020 (10,446).

Of the 10,040 recorded in 2023, 426 were under the age of 16.

The top five most overcrowded hospitals in February were:

• University Hospital Limerick: 1,561 
• Cork University Hospital: 1,041 
• University Hospital Galway: 775 
• Mater Hospital (Dublin): 570 
• Sligo University Hospital: 528

Ms Ní Sheaghdha said: "Over 10,000 people admitted to hospital for care for whom there were no beds.

"We have seen serious spikes of overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick and across all Dublin hospitals throughout the month of February. It is clear that medium and long-term plans are needed to resolve the overcrowding issues in these hospitals.

The group recently voted to ballot for industrial action on a location-by-location basis, but haven't yet ruled out a national day of action.

Unsafe working conditions continue to occur for nurses and midwives across the health service, Ms Ní Sheaghdha explained.

"Nurses are working in extremely unsafe conditions. Their workplaces are not just overcrowded, they are also short staffed. When wards are not staffed correctly, it has a very profound impact on the level of care our members are able to provide to patients.

“The HSE and Minister for Health must give an update on whether the measures they introduced in January to relieve pressure on our health system have had a real impact and what they are going to do to prevent further spikes in March and April.”