256 people treated on trolleys at Kildare's main hospital last month

A total of 256 people were treated on trolleys, having been admitted through the accident and emergency department, last month in Naas Hospital.

The monthly figure compares with 202 in August last year and 305 in August 2023.

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The highest overcrowding figure for any August was 457 in 2022, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation which has been monitoring overcrowding levels in public hospitals since 2007.

The most overcrowded hospital last month was University Hospital Limerick with 1773 patients.

Over 8,055 patients went without a bed in Irish hospitals this August according to 

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha who said: “The number of patients cared for on trolleys and the length of time spent on trolleys, particularly older people,  has been a cause of concern this summer.”

She equated overcrowding nationally as a breach of human dignity which impacts on the potential recovery and treatment of the issues causing people to attend emergency departments.

“This is a particularly acute issue in hospitals in the west and midwest where overcrowding has been out-of-control for much of the month of August.   

“We must heed the warnings of our Australian colleagues who witnessed a record-breaking flu season this year. Our public health system cannot cope with a deluge of respiratory illnesses over the coming months.”

The INMO has called on the HSE to outline plans to reduce both the number of patients being treated in inappropriate spaces and the amount of time a patient is spending on a trolley. 

And unless there is a hospital-by-hospital plan to tackle overcrowding “we are in for a very bleak winter in Irish hospitals which will see nurses and patients in extremely unsafe circumstances.”

Ms Ní Sheaghdha said people deserve to know that the HSE will have a plan in place to ensure that care can be provided safely in the community over this traditionally busy time.  

“Nurses and other healthcare staff will not continue to work in these environments. Predictable surges of healthcare needs must have a planned approach to deal with them. If the Government and HSE are serious about retaining those who already work in the health service, needless bureaucratic delays to recruitment in the community and hospital nursing services must be removed and meaningful action must be taken to ensure safe care conditions for both patients and staff. No nurse wants to have to care for patients in sub-optimal conditions.”