More than 600 hospital patients were waiting for a bed on Thursday as one A&E nurse warned this is “only the tip of the iceberg”.
A total of 405 faced delays in emergency departments while 199 were in other hospital wards, according to the Irish Nurses’ & Midwives’ Organisation.
At the University Hospital Limerick, 70 people were waiting for beds, while there were 57 at Cork University Hospital.
A total of 50 patients waited for beds at South Tipperary General Hospital, with 41 at Letterkenny University Hospital.
On Tuesday, a total of 679 patients were forced to wait on trolleys or chairs – the highest daily figure of the year so far, and the second highest ever recorded. A long-serving nurse working in the Emergency Department at Cork University Hospital said patient safety is at risk as they are denied proper care.
Michelle Kingston, who is also the health & safety representative for the A&E unit, told how some of her colleagues went home in tears earlier this week because there weren’t enough beds for people.
She added: “As a nurse, you’re just trying to get a trolley and start nursing your patient in a dignified and safe manner.
“On the whole, it is dangerous and we’re all very, very aware of that.
“You have families who don’t want their elderly mother or father in a trolley, they want them in a bed – and so do we.
“We want them in a bed – but there is no bed. We need beds. This is only the tip of the iceberg. We haven’t even hit winter yet.”
Ms Kingston said she and her colleagues are frustrated they can’t do more for their patients.
She added: “As a nurse it’s just very, very frustrating.
“You can come close to tears because you can’t find a space.
“You’re putting patients on chairs and you’re asking them to hang on.
“To me, the most important thing is dignity – and having a patient on a corridor is not dignified. And it breaks my heart.”
A mixture of people attend Cork University Hospital’s Emergency Department on a daily basis.
They range from the elderly and young members of the community, to psychiatric patients, prisoners, those who are heavily under the influence of alcohol or other drugs and people who are suicidal.
Ms Kingston said: “In the waiting room we could have a poor little old lady and she could be sitting next to somebody who is withdrawing from drugs.
“We’re doing the best we can – and sometimes our best isn’t good enough.”
The nurse, who has worked in the emergency department for 11 years, added her colleagues work well together and they have a supportive management team.
She said: “There’s a very good workflow here in the ED, and we have a good system in place.
“It’s just there are no beds. It’s not a staffing issue. It’s the beds.”
