SHOCKING: Almost 10,000 people treated with no bed in Irish hospitals in just one month

Over 9,635 patients have been treated in hospital without a bed this September according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

It is understood that over three thousand patients have been treated on trolleys in the three most overcrowded hospitals alone, according to the union.

The INMO is calling for an immediate end to all recruitment caps and the urgent implementation of the government’s safe staffing framework to help manage the current increase in hospital overcrowding.  

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The most overcrowded hospitals in Ireland this month were University Hospital Limerick with 1,735 patients left on trolleys, Cork University Hospital with 1,263 patients and Galway University Hospital with 959 patients.

Sligo University Hospital and St Vincent’s University Hospital also made the list of most overcrowded Irish hospitals with a combined 1,292 patients left on trolleys between the two.

INMO deputy general secretary Dr Edwards Mathews said: 

“We are now heading into the hardest period of the year without enough staff to safely care for patients, and the number of people who will be treated on trolleys will continue to grow over the coming months. 

“Our members are extremely discouraged to be heading into another winter period without safe staffing levels, and with a HSE strategy in place to prevent recruitment into vacant positions. 

 “Additional bed capacity must be prioritised and all obstacles to recruiting nurses and midwives need to be removed urgently. Continuing to obstruct safe staffing in this way is simply irresponsible, and will without a doubt lead to worse outcomes for patients this winter.”