Trolley crisis could worsen hospital waiting lists, patients warned 

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said it counted 735 people on trolleys on Wednesday morning. This included 109 patients at UHL, 79 at CUH and 86 at Galway University Hospital. File picture: iStock

Patients could face even longer hospital waiting lists this year as overcrowding this month leads to wards being used for emergency patients instead of non-urgent care.

In addition, in some areas patients whose houses do not have water or electricity cannot go home leading to further pressures on beds.

On Wednesday, the HSE data shows 614 surge beds in use, including 62 at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) and 26 at Cork University Hospital (CUH).

The use of these beds, which would normally treat patients receiving non-urgent care, is in addition to patients on trolleys either in the emergency department or wheeled out to wards.

Stephen McMahon from the Irish Patients Association said the first meeting for this year of the Emergency Department Taskforce was cancelled on Friday because of Storm Éowyn. The taskforce brings together groups including the HSE and unions. 

“We’re up at record levels again,” he said.

“So we really need to have this meeting. And certainly being aware of the new minister’s — Jennifer Carroll MacNeill — commitment to patient safety I would hope she would use the Taskforce as an opportunity to get a feel for what it is like out there on the frontlines.” 

Mr McMahon said he is hopeful she can “re-energise” the commitment to ending overcrowding, saying this has not had enough focus recently.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said it counted 735 people on trolleys on Wednesday morning. This included 109 patients at UHL, 79 at CUH and 86 at Galway University Hospital.

When you have almost 750 people on trolleys, that in turn has a knock-on effect,” he said. “And it’s not just Limerick, it’s other hospitals. 

 “We seem to be constantly experiencing overcrowding with all of the associated spin-offs of cancelled appointments, cancelled elective surgeries. There are massive knock-ons across the system.” 

He called for Irish research similar to that from France and England which identified negative outcomes including an increased risk of dying linked to delayed care on trolleys.

“It’s part of having a meaningful taskforce to have this information. We know people are suffering,” he said.

Storm Éowyn has also left some patients unable to go home even though their treatment is finished. 

One consultant posted on X: “Have an older in-patient at the moment who can't go home because her house has no electricity after the storm. Invested a fortune into a heat pump and now has no way of heating the house. Her elderly husband is at home wearing a blanket to fight the cold.” 

By Wednesday morning there were 438 people delayed in hospitals for various reasons, the HSE said. This is despite improvements leading to fewer delays compared to December 2023.

CUH, Galway, and Sligo hospitals had the highest numbers of patients unable to be discharged.