'There was a smell of smoke coming in from outside': 84-year-old waited over four days for a bed

Patients on trolleys in the corridor of the emergency department at Mayo University Hospital on Monday. Picture: Darragh Mc Donagh

An 84-year-old man with special needs was left on a trolley in the emergency department at Mayo University Hospital for four days before being transferred to a bed on a ward this week.

The patient, who has an intellectual disability and a number of serious medical conditions, presented at the emergency department early on Friday morning accompanied by a carer.