The government must show the same urgency to fix the trolley crisis as was shown towards the long queues at Dublin Airport at the end of May, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said.
The INMO called for an urgent meeting of the HSE Emergency Department Taskforce in light of abnormal trolley figures for this time of year.
There were 546 patients without a bed in Irish hospitals yesterday, with 46 of those at University Hospital Galway.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said that it was ‘not normal’ to have 546 patients without a bed on 8 June.
She said that unless action is taken, we are going to continue to see high numbers of patients without a bed in our hospitals.
Yesterday’s high level of overcrowding was not isolated to University Hospital Limerick, but a number of hospitals including UHG recorded dozens of patients on trolleys.
The INMO said that the HSE Emergency Department Taskforce must urgently convene to put a hospital-by-hospital plan in place in the short, medium, and long-term.
“This is time to plan for the winter. The outcome of the Minister of Health’s request to examine and issue recommendations in University Hospital Limerick must be provided to the Taskforce without delay.”
Phil Ní Sheaghdha said that members of the public are being constantly let down when it comes to timely access to healthcare.
“Longer term implications of these inhumane wait times are reported on but ignored.
“Waiting for care in inappropriate locations causes patients to have much poorer outcomes, why are we still waiting for the plan to deal with this important issue?
“The same all of government approach is needed to fixing the current trolley crisis as was applied to the long queues over one weekend in Dublin Airport.”
