Life in A&E: Elderly people becoming delirious and patients collapsing on the floor

An emergency nurse, who has been in the role for 14 years, said this winter is the worst she has seen

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the Irish Emergency Medicine Association warned that this month's data shows that patient treatment has reached a new low. File photo

Delirious elderly patients collapsing on the floor as overworked hospital staff try to treat everyone and ambulances backed up outside in the car park. This was the grim picture painted of the reality of our hospital emergency departments on Thursday by nurses and doctors working on the front line.

The public could be forgiven for thinking we have heard this before, but the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the Irish Emergency Medicine Association warned that this month's data shows that patient treatment has reached a new low.