New overcrowding record for UHL with 132 patients on trolleys

Of the 132 patients, 61 are in the Emergency Department while the remaining 71 are on wards elsewhere. File picture: Emma Jervis / Press 22

University Hospital Limerick (UHL) set a new record on Monday for the number of patients waiting on a bed.

As of this morning, there are 132 patients on trolleys at the hospital, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (IMNO). This is two more than the previous record set by the hospital last October.

Of the 132 patients, 61 are in the Emergency Department while the remaining 71 are on wards elsewhere.

Today's figures come as no surprise the INMO said, adding that its members have been working in overcrowded and understaffed wards "with no reprieve for years on end".

“The fact that there are more patients on trolleys on wards throughout the hospital than in the emergency departments speaks volumes about the level of activity in the hospital," an INMO spokesperson told the Irish Examiner.

The provision of safe and timely care in situations where the hospital is extremely overcrowded is a cause of concern."

They said that there are serious concerns about the ability of the hospital to provide safe care and for the health and well-being of members.

The UL Hospital Group said that attendance was above average over the weekend with a high number of inpatients associated with the recent surge in winter respiratory illnesses.

"The level of overcrowding is far in excess of where we want to be, and we apologise to every one of our patients who faces a long wait time for an inpatient bed," a spokesperson said.

We are following our escalation framework to maximise patient flow and create additional capacity to manage the consistently high levels of activity in the hospital.

"Staff are focused on ensuring that emergency care is first received by the sickest patients."

The group said that ongoing measures are in place to deal with overcrowding including opening surge capacity across all sites, transferring patients on trolleys to inpatient wards, and additional ward rounds by medical teams to expedite discharges or suitable for transfer.

Elective activity at UHL is being reviewed on a daily basis in an effort to maximise surge capacity while ensuring urgent and time-critical cases can be accommodated as scheduled.

The Emergency Department (ED) remains open 24/7 but the public is urged to attend only where necessary. Those attending the ED without a life-threatening or severe illness or injury is likely to face a significant wait time.

Anyone who is seriously injured or ill, or worried their life may be at risk, will be assessed for treatment in the ED as a priority.

The Emergency Department (ED) remains open 24/7 but the public is urged to attend only where necessary.

The new figures come over 18 months after an "expert team" was sent to Limerick to address the ongoing overcrowding issue. Last year, there were a total of 21,445 people on trollies at UHL.

In April 2022, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly sent in an expert team to UHL which was supposed to tackle the trolley crisis there.

Mr Donnelly previously said extra bed capacity is being given to UHL and that the hospital has seen the biggest increase in its budget compared to others. UHL accounts for almost a quarter of patients waiting for a bed in Irish hospitals today.

Overall, there are 592 people on trolleys, 16 of whom are children.

Cork University Hospital follows UHL as the second most overcrowded hospital on Monday with 71 patients waiting for a bed while University Hospital Galway has 63.