INMO calls for 'laser-like focus' to tackle overcrowding as May trolley figures revealed

Almost 12,000 people were on trolleys this month, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO). 

The group is calling on the HSE to take immediate action in order to deal with the ongoing trolley crisis, as it revealed 11,856 patients including hundreds of children waited for beds in May 2023. 

University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded hospital nationwide this month, with 1857 patients waiting, followed by Cork University Hospital (1310 patients), University Hospital Galway (896 patients), Sligo University Hospital (751 patients) and Tallaght University Hospital (704 patients). 

INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, commented and said, "The number of patients we have seen on trolleys in the month of May are higher than January 2023, when we saw the worst levels of daily hospital overcrowding since the INMO began counting trolleys. This type of overcrowding at the beginning of summer must be immediately addressed to prevent an even more chaotic winter." 

According to Ms Ní Sheaghdha, nurses are working in a system which has "normalised over 500 people a day on trolleys". 

She said, "[Nurses] have had little to no reprieve from overcrowding. Our members are reporting high levels of burnout and their intention to leave their current work area is higher than it has ever been." 

She continued: "At yesterday’s meeting of the Emergency Department Taskforce, which the INMO co-chairs with the HSE, we were provided with stark warnings from public health experts that we are facing into another difficult winter when it comes to RSV and influenza. Corrective action must be taken now to ease the pressure in our hospitals. 

"We need to see a laser-like focus from Government and the HSE to tackling the overcrowding crisis in our hospitals once and for all. The corrective measures we seek are proper planning of the cancellation of non-urgent elective surgery in line with public health projections; pre-arranged agreements with private acute hospitals to provide non-urgent elective surgery; and bespoke retention and recruitment initiatives to be implemented now to ensure staffing for additional capacity that is definitely going to be needed."