A total of 454 patients admitted to hospitals around the country were left waiting for beds today, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s (INMO) Trolley Watch.
A breakdown shows that 295 were waiting in the emergency departments, while 159 were in wards elsewhere in the hospital.
University Hospital Limerick was the worst hit with 73 patients waiting for beds, 43 of which were left on trolleys in the Emergency Department.
38 patients were left without a bed in University Hospital Waterford while 34 were left waiting in University Hospital Galway and Mater University Hospital in Dublin.
South Tipperary General and Cork University Hospital followed close behind, with 33 patients in each hospital without a bed.
Figures from this week alone starting from Monday show that the number of patients left waiting for a bed didn’t drop below the 450 mark.
Every morning, INMO members count how many patients are waiting in the Emergency Department for a bed and how many are waiting in wards elsewhere in the hospital.
The INMO Trolley Watch counts the number of patients who have been admitted to acute hospitals, but who are waiting for a free bed.
These patients are often being treated on trolleys in corridors, but they may also be on chairs, in waiting rooms, or simply wherever there’s space.
