Mercy Hospital ED under severe strain as patients wait over 24 hours for beds

Mercy University Hospital is struggling with severe overcrowding as 24 patients remain on trolleys and the HSE appeals for alternatives

HSE data shows seven patients had waited over 24 hours after doctors determined they were too sick to be discharged.

The Mercy University Hospital’s emergency department remained extremely busy on Thursday morning, with seven people waiting more than 24 hours for a bed, as the HSE urged the public to consider alternative care options.

There were 24 patients on trolleys at the Cork City hospital on Thursday, unable to get a bed, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).