INMO reports 824 patients on trolleys, HSE says 599 amid overcrowding crisis

The HSE reported 599 patients on trolleys in hospitals on Wednesday, while the INMO put the figure at 824 patients using broader counting criteria. The INMO said this was the highest number since January 2023.

The discrepancy arises because the HSE figures include patients on a hospital trolley or an extra bed placed in an inappropriate space in a hospital ward, whereas the INMO also counts patients placed on wards, corridors, chairs or elsewhere in hospitals while waiting for admission to a bed.

Yesterday, the INMO said there were 777 patients waiting for a bed. TheJournal.ie reported that on Tuesday this week the number was 777. RTÉ reported that Wednesday's figure was the highest recorded so far on any single day this year by the union. The last time the number was over 824 was in January 2023, when the highest level of overcrowding recorded by the INMO was 931 patients on 3 January.

Worst-affected hospitals

According to the INMO, the worst-affected hospitals were University Hospital Limerick with 97 patients waiting, Cork University Hospital with 81 and St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin with 65. The HSE said Cork University Hospital had the highest number of people waiting for a bed, at 73.

The HSE highlighted that 552 patients who were medically fit to be discharged remained in its care for a variety of reasons. The INMO called for the cessation of all elective activity in acute hospitals, with private hospital capacity purchased to accommodate that work.

The INMO said the situation was exposing patients to “unacceptable risks”. INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said the current situation was dangerous and required immediate action. She said the HSE and Department of Health must be honest with the public about the dire situation facing the majority of emergency departments.

Ní Sheaghdha said recruitment restrictions were compounding the situation, with at least four HSE regions unable to recruit without sign-off from the Department of Health. The INMO has written to the HSE seeking “immediate engagement” on safe staffing levels.

The Irish Times reported that pressure on hospitals typically rises as winter approaches due to respiratory viruses such as influenza, with the highest trolley numbers normally seen in late December and January. Cork University Hospital’s chief executive, Jennifer Kearney, wrote to the HSE outlining patient-safety concerns due to staff shortages, the Irish Times reported.