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There were more than 1,200 patients on trolleys at University Hospital Galway in April, making it the second most overcrowded in the country.
Last month saw 936 patients forced to wait on trolleys in the emergency department at UHG, and another 272 in the wards.
This is the highest monthly trolley figure for the hospital so far this year, higher even than 1,041 patients in January, typically peak season for hospital overcrowding.
It is also significantly higher than the 827 people on trolley UHG saw in the same period in 2023.
At Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, there were nearly another 200 people on trolleys over the course of the month.
Of those, 83 were in the emergency department and another 108 were without a bed in the wards.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said that it is extremely alarming to see this level of overcrowding in what is typically a quiet month for hospitals.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said, “The fact that we are seeing this level of overcrowding in April is clear that the HSE have not learned any lessons when it comes to reducing the number of patients on trolleys.”
“The number of patients admitted without a bed only went below 400 on any given day on one occasion, and over 600 patients were on trolleys on five occasions over the course of the month.”
Over 11,070 patients, including 258 children, were admitted to hospitals nationwide without a bed in April, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
“By any standard this is unacceptable but to see this type of overcrowding during a month when it is traditionally quieter is a clear indicator that the HSE’s current plans are not working.”
The top 5 most overcrowded hospitals include:
- University Hospital Limerick – 1,971 patients
- Galway University Hospital – 1,208 patients
- Cork University Hospital – 1,096 patients
- St Vincent’s University Hospital – 650 patients
- Letterkenny University Hospital – 594 patients
“Our members are reporting that the challenges associated with overcrowding are being worsened by the HSE’s recruitment moratorium which is making it impossible to staff any ward safely or to expand nursing services into the community to develop the much needed services as set out in Sláintecare.”
