Severe overcrowding persists at University Hospital Limerick today, as the INMO reports a pandemic-high number of people on trolleys.
467 patients are waiting for a bed at Irish hospitals, with 79 at UHL making it the most overcrowded facility today.
There are five people being treated on trolleys at Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel today.
The INMO is calling for a “detailed winter plan” as flu season approaches, with the union’s General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, saying the overcrowding is “placing an extraordinary burden on a workforce that’s completely exhausted.”
“This is a very dangerous situation. Not only is it putting our members and their patients at significant risk of COVID infection, but it is placing an extraordinary burden on a workforce that is completely exhausted.
“Letting overcrowding escalate over the coming months, as we have seen happen year after year, is going to lead to very poor outcomes for patients at a critical time in the pandemic.
“We need to see government coming forward in the coming days with concrete plans for keeping hospitals safe for patients and staff for the coming winter. That means a detailed Winter Plan from the HSE that includes increased capacity in the community. Next week’s Budget must include plans for substantial investment in homecare packages.”
