The number of patients left waiting on trolleys in Irish hospitals nationwide almost doubled last month when compared to the same period in 2020, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has said.

Furthermore, more children were left waiting on trolleys in all three children’s hospitals last month compared to any other October on record. When compared to October 2020, there were five times more children on trolleys last month.

According to the INMO’s latest Trolley Watch figures, a total of 19 hospitals saw their trolley figures double this October when compared to October 2020. Meanwhile, four hospitals - St.Vincent’s University Hospital, University Hospital Tipperary, University Hospital Galway and Ennis Hospital – saw their trolley numbers increase 10-fold when compared to October 2020.

Overall, over 54,000 people have been left waiting on trolleys in Irish hospitals so far this year compared to 45,000 during the same period in 2020.

The hospitals with the highest number of patients on trolleys during October 2021 were University Hospital Limerick (1,369), University Hospital Letterkenny (943) and University Hospital Galway (829).

These latest figures “are an indication of what lies ahead for patients and staff in our health service if action is not taken”, warned INMO general secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha.

“These figures come in the backdrop of rapidly increasing Covid cases, increased hospitalisations and an increased number of nurses and midwives becoming infected with Covid-19.

“We urgently need to see action on ensuring that patient-facing healthcare workers have every protection possible to keep them safe as infection numbers are reaching the high numbers we saw earlier this year. We must see a recommendation from NIAC on extending the vaccine booster to healthcare workers,” she commented.

Ms Ní Sheaghdha noted that at the start of the pandemic, the HSE said there would be zero tolerance of overcrowding. However, hospitals are no longer just full, they are now overcrowded, she noted.

“We have not seen any detailed plan from the HSE in terms of winter planning. Winter is no longer a time coming down the tracks, it is already here. We are calling on the HSE and Health Minister Donnelly to outline in detail this week what exactly they are planning for the months ahead and what capacity will be made available from the private sector,” she said.

She insisted that if the HSE is planning to cancel elective procedures, then this decision needs to be taken now, “not when the crisis is unmanageable”.

“We need funding to implement the Safe-Staffing Framework, which determines the safe levels of nurse-to-patient ratio. We are hearing examples in our hospitals of one nurse to 15 patients in a ward. This is not a safe environment for the nurse or patients,” she said.

She added that trolley figures cannot be allowed to continue to rise when the health service is still trying to contend with Covid-19 and all the implications it has for staff. She called on the HSE to take “immediate action”.