More than 400 patients across the country are waiting for beds in Irish hospitals this morning, in the highest figure since the start of the pandemic.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO)’s Trolley Watch recorded a total of 413 admitted patients waiting for beds on Wednesday.
Of these patients, 343 were waiting in emergency departments, while 70 were in wards elsewhere in hospitals.
The hospitals with the largest number of patients waiting for beds are as follows:
- University Hospital Limerick – 69
- University Hospital Galway – 45
- Cork University Hospital – 39
- Letterkenny University Hospital – 27
- Sligo University Hospital – 26
- University Hospital Kerry – 26
- Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore – 22
- Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin – 21
- St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin – 21
It comes after the number waiting on beds on Tuesday, 395, broke the previous record for the highest number during the pandemic and prompted the INMO to warn that hospitals are now experiencing the worst overcrowding since the pandemic began.
The union's general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said on Tuesday: “Overcrowded hospitals can act as infection hotspots for Covid. Vaccination has made a massive difference, but there are still big dangers for frontline healthcare workers.
“They are being regularly exposed to the virus and our members have reported long-term impacts. We need maximum protection for frontline staff.
“We need to see proper audits of every healthcare workplace to ensure that ventilation meets a high standard. We have a huge amount of data on how this virus spreads – now it is time to act on it.”
Meanwhile, there are 335 people hospitalised with Covid-19 across Ireland as of Wednesday morning, with 59 people in intensive care.
