Elderly woman waited 27 hours for trolley at University Hospital Limerick

'My mother was not seen by a doctor for 19 hours'

Marie O’Connor’s mother was advised to attend the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

The daughter of an 88-year-old woman with influenza who could not even get a trolley between two Limerick hospitals for 27 hours said it is impossible to imagine how bad the trolley crisis is until you are stuck in it.

Marie O’Connor’s mother was advised to attend University Hospital Limerick (UHL) by a GP service on December 27 due to shortness of breath and other respiratory symptoms.

“My mother, who is 88, was sent to the ED department at UHL for a chest x-ray, and was not seen by a doctor for 19 hours,” she said.

They arrived at the hospital soon after 3pm, and her mother was assessed by a triage nurse. Then they waited.

“At 11pm, they took mam’s bloods,” she said. “There were trolleys everywhere, in the nurses’ station they were two-fold with trolleys each side. 

"It was like an obstacle course. I just completed health and safety in the workplace in my own job, I was shocked to think they could back all these trolleys up.” 

The only movement she could see was trolleys being moved “in, out, in, out” by porters.

'So undignified'

“You’d want to be quite slim to walk through,” she said. “It was so undignified, and they all seemed to be respiratory conditions.” 

Her mother spent the night on a chair, coughing.

“Mam did not meet a doctor until 10am on December 28. She received medication and a chest x-ray and was brought out to another chair. 

“My mother was waiting for an ambulance for transport to St John’s Hospital. She continued waiting on a chair, and then found out there was no bed at St John’s,” said Ms O’Connor, from Kilfinan in Co Limerick.

“She eventually got a trolley at UHL 27 hours after arriving, she then got a bed at 2am on December 29," she said.

“This flu is so contagious; there is no space between people.” 

Marie O'Connor, whose mother was sent to the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick, said it is impossible to imagine how bad the trolley crisis is until you are stuck in it. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Ms O'Connor said questions have to be asked about the HSE's winter plan, particularly the plan for the Mid-West. 

The UL Hospital Group on Wednesday said that “most outpatient appointments scheduled for the rest of the week” have now been cancelled to cope with the unprecedented high number of emergency patients.

Anyone affected is being contacted directly by hospital staff. 

“We apologise to every patient who is currently experiencing a long wait for admission at UHL, and for the inconvenience and frustration this causes for patients’ loved ones,” said a spokesman.