Hundreds left with no hospital bed as Easter weekend approaches

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation have reached out to the HSE and pleaded with them to take action ahead of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend as hospitals nationwide are overcrowded.

The INMO fear there will be a surge in the amount of patients being admitted to hospital over the Easter weekend, and with hundreds already left without beds, are worried more pressure will be put on hospital staff and many will be left on trolleys.

Overcrowding is already a big issue nationwide as there have been 584 patients admitted to hospital without a bed today, April 5. 

The INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha has released a statement saying, “Our members are concerned at the very high levels of overcrowding leading into the Easter period and we have set out the necessary immediate steps that must be taken to alleviate pressure across hospital sites”.

“We know that after every bank holiday there is a predictable surge in the number of people on trolleys. Therefore, all efforts to increase discharges, including over the long weekend period must be undertaken”.

She added, “Where it is available additional capacity must be obtained from the private sector and alternative care pathways in the community must be utilised”.

When previously speaking about the record high numbers of overcrowding in March, the worst since 2006, the General Secretary stated, “The State cannot expect nurses to bear the brunt of the crisis and work at full tilt in constantly overcrowded and understaffed wards year-round. Nurses want to be able to carry out the high quality care that they have been trained to do but cannot provide in these circumstances”.

“There must be a change in mindset in how we approach this overcrowding crisis across from senior decision-makers from hospital management to HSE senior management levels”.

Figures shared today to prove the overcrowding issue have revealed that there are 98 patients waiting for hospital beds in University Hospital Limerick, 59 in University College Hospital Galway and 73 in Cork University Hospital waiting on trolleys and wards for a bed.