Record number of children waiting for hospital beds

Overcrowding in hospitals nationwide has been getting worse as a record number of children have been left with no hospital bed. 

Yesterday, Tuesday January 24, marked the ‘worst day on record of paediatric overcrowding’ as 46 children were left waiting for beds. 

According to the General Secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, these numbers are “worrying” and “dangerous”.

Taking to Twitter, she explained, “Today we are seeing an unprecedented number of children on hospital trolleys. The level of overcrowding we are seeing in our paediatric hospitals is very worrying".

“This is not only dangerous for staff and for patients it is simply no way to safely treat sick children who are admitted to hospital. It also places a further burden on families who have to experience long waits while accompanying a sick child, potentially overnight”.

“It is impossible to provide safe care in these types of overcrowded environments”.

The General Secretary continued, “INMO officials are engaging with management across CHI sites to request the prioritisation of emergency admissions.

“Staffing in our children’s hospitals must be a focus for the HSE and Department of Health in the short and long term.”

Overall, there were 517 patients left without a bed across hospitals in Ireland yesterday, 23 of them were in Temple Street Children's Hospital.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s TrolleyWatch, there are 484 people in hospital waiting for a bed so far today, January 25.