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UHG is the second most overcrowded hospital in Ireland today once again with 46 patients on trolleys.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s Trolley/Ward Watch consistently shows that UHG is one of the worst affected hospitals in the country by the overcrowding crisis along with UH Limerick and Cork.
As expected the Emergency Department in Limerick is under by far the most pressure, with 63 patients without a proper bed, and Cork is tied with Galway today at 46.
Also in Galway there are six people on trolleys today at Portiuncula University Hospital in Ballinasloe.
The INMO has been saying for some time a staffing crisis for nurses is making it impossible to keep up with demand at public hospitals.
In the Saolta Healthcare Group, which includes UHG, Merlin Park, and Portiuncula hospitals the union has warned that the level of vacancies is serious enough that services need to be curtailed for patient safety.
“Our frontline members tell us that day staffing levels now resemble the night shift,” said Anne Burke, INMO Officer for Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon.
Anne Burke said that there are more than 60 vacant nurses positions at University Hospital Galway alone, and that failing to either fill those positions or curtail services will have a serious impact on staff and patients alike.
