Consultant who spent four days on trolley says 'this is a pure bed and resource issue'

With his trolley protected only by a curtain, Dr Mick Molloy had the additional indignity of having gardaí and rowdy patients fall on top of him.

“This is not a people or staff issue, this is a pure bed and resource issue.”

That is how an emergency department consultant, who himself spent four days on a trolley in an overcrowded ED has described the beds crisis.

Dr Mick Molloy, who is diabetic, suffered temporary paralysis leaving him unable to move his legs. He said his four days on the trolley as a patient, while traumatic, is not unusual for patients today.

With his trolley protected only by a curtain, he had the additional indignity of having gardaí and rowdy patients fall on top of him.

“I spent four days in limbo in the emergency department, not knowing was a bed going to become available, when was it going to become available,” he said.

“Knowing everything I know about the inside of the health service, there was nothing I could do to change that. There was no button to press, no person to call — because if the hospital is full, it’s full.” 

Echoing experiences of many patients, he was moved seven times along corridors.

He said an ED is open 24 hours but this means the noise and lights also do not stop.

"When it got late at night and there were challenges with public order, the gardaí were inside the place, and they ended up on top of me in the cubicle at one stage.

He noted another consultant was on a trolley at the same time.

“It was distressing, it was traumatic, it was unpleasant,” he said. 

“This is not a people or staff issue, this is a pure bed and resource issue.” 

While on the trolley, he was seen twice daily by consultants and said: “There was no issue with the care provided.” 

Dr Mick Molloy, who is diabetic, suffered temporary paralysis leaving him unable to move his legs. He said his four days on the trolley as a patient, while traumatic, is not unusual for patients today. Picture: Fintan Clarke

Dr Molloy, a past president of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), highlighted a UK study which found among patients delayed more than six hours on a trolley after being admitted, there was one death for every 82 people which should not have happened.

“We look on a daily basis in emergency departments at 20, 40, 60 and even yesterday (Friday) 100 people on trolleys waiting for a bed,” he said.

“People are not any different to people in the UK so that means there would be one unexpected death per hospital in some cases because of the volume of these people delayed in an inappropriate environment.” 

He added: “It’s long recognised that sleeping in an environment which is noisy and where the lights are constantly on is a well-recognised way to torture people.” 

When a bed was found, he ultimately spent only a few hours there as a bed also opened up in a private hospital to where he was transferred, thanks to having private health insurance.

On Saturday the IMO consultant committee passed a motion urging the Government to publish a rapid expansion plan with ring-fenced funding increasing bed, theatre, and diagnostic capacity.

Dr Molloy said this is urgent for all hospitals and criticism in recent days of consultants at University Hospital Limerick is “unfair” around overcrowding.

“I think that is very unfair because at the end of the day if you quadruple the number of consultants in Limerick today, they would still not have an effect on the 101 people who are waiting for trolleys,” he said.

“Having extra doctors won’t change that, they still need those beds.”