Almost 550 people were waiting on trolleys in hospital Emergency Departments (EDs) and wards nationwide on Tuesday (December 13), according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

This figure is 63% higher than the same day last year, when 331 people were on trolleys.

The hospitals worst affected included Cork University Hospital (48 on trolleys), University Hospital Galway (48), University Hospital Waterford (36) and St Vincent's University Hospital (34).

The INMO said that this situation ‘is further compounded by the fact that there are currently 180 acute beds closed across the country'. The main reason for this is the HSE's failure to recruit an adequate number of nurses to staff these beds.

The organisation pointed out that there is currently 140 staff nurse vacancies in EDs, which represents almost a 10% vacancy rate. It is understood that a number of these vacancies are being filled by agency nurses, which is very costly.

The INMO said a number of emergency measures are now needed to tackle this issue, including:
-The rostering of all available senior clinical decision makers to cover the hospitals on an extended day over a seven-day basis. They should be present, at a minimum, from 8am to 8pm every day.
-Most hospitals need to cancel/defer elective admissions to accommodate patients presenting via the ED.

Commenting on the issue, INMO general secretary, Liam Doran, said that these trolley figures are ‘totally unacceptable' and require ‘emergency action'.