Over 92,000 hospital patients have been left waiting on trolleys so far this year – a 45% increase on the same period last year, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has said.

Following consultation with emergency department (ED) representatives, the INMO’s Executive Council has called on the HSE and government to come up with an immediate plan to tackle overcrowding in EDs nationwide.

“INMO members in EDs are once again sounding the alarm on grim conditions across the country. We know anecdotally that many nurses in EDs are moving to elsewhere in their hospital or are leaving the profession altogether because of the conditions in which they work and a lack of safe staffing,” commented INMO general secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha.

She noted that in in St Vincent’s University Hospital for example, 18 nurses are needed for any given shift in the ED. However, INMO members there are reporting that in reality, no more than 11 are rostered for most shifts. Meanwhile, in University Hospital Galway, there are 42 nursing vacancies in the ED.

“Nurses and midwives have just come out of the worst of Covid-19 and are now working in a system that is sleepwalking into another overcrowding crisis,” Ms Ní Sheaghdha insisted.

She said that it is now necessary that all relevant parties, including the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), attend the next ED taskforce meeting.

“Our ED nurses are not willing to put up with the conditions that they find themselves working in. This is reflected in the high numbers of resignations. It is vital now that the HSE and government meet with these nurses, hear their concerns and take immediate action. If numbers continue to rise on trolleys, coupled with extremely unsafe staffing, our organisation will have no choice but to consult with members on the next steps,” Ms Ní Sheaghdha added.

According to INMO president, Karen McGowan, nurses and midwives “do not believe that the Department of Health or the HSE are putting in place adequate measures to deal with the stark increase in resignations among our professions”.

“Our ED nurses can no longer cope with their workplace being the first port of call in many instances. If government and the HSE are serious about keeping Irish nurses in Irish hospitals then they must take immediate action on safe staffing, fast tracking recruitment and getting private hospitals on the pitch now,” she said.