The current overcrowding situation in hospitals nationwide should be declared an emergency, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has insisted.

It is calling on the HSE to impose restrictions, including on elective care, to allow hospitals to cope. Such restrictions should be in place until at least Easter, the organisation said.

On Monday morning (March 21), 570 patients were waiting on trolleys or chairs for a hospital bed, including 79 in University Hospital Limerick and 54 in Letterkenny University Hospital. These figures were described as “disappointing but not a surprise to nurses and midwives”.

“We have been ringing the alarm on this situation for far too long. The government must now revisit its decision on mask wearing in indoor and crowded settings.

“There is a clear link between reduced transmission and mask wearing. Removing the mask requirement in congregated settings particularly with poor ventilation is clearly having a detrimental impact in our hospitals,” commented INMO general secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha.

She pointed out that as of March 21, over 7,000 patients have been left waiting on trolleys since the mask requirement was dropped on February 28.

“Our nurses and midwives have been dealing with overcrowding coupled with Covid transmission and are burnt out and exhausted. Furthermore, air hygiene in hospitals is poor. Covid is an airborne pathogen and despite all the evidence, the HSE has attached very little urgency to the very real need for the introduction of hospital-wide air filtration and measurement systems,” Ms Ní Sheaghdha insisted.

She said that the HSE should now direct hospitals to cancel elective procedures and prioritise emergency care.

“The health service is creaking and unable to do everything. The HSE has a duty as an employer and as a service provider to take the necessary steps to scale up capacity. The current state of our health system is extremely concerning. Patients, nurses, midwives, healthcare staff and wider hospital communities deserve better,” she added.