The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has called on the HSE to declare the current overcrowding situation in our hospitals as an emergency.
It comes as 570 patients are without a bed at hospitals across the country today with University Hospital Limerick once again the most overcrowded.
The Dooradoyle facility – which serves North Tipp, Limerick and Clare – has 79 people being cared for on trolleys.
At TUH in Clonmel there are 19 patients without a bed. Management there are asking people to only attend in the case of a genuine emergency and to use their GP or Caredoc out of hours service instead.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is asking the HSE to impose all necessary assistances and restrictions in order to allow hospitals to cope. The nursing union is recommending that these restrictions on elective care would be in place until Easter, at least.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha says they have been ringing the alarm on this situation for far too long.
She says the Government must now revisit their decision on mask-wearing in indoor and crowded settings claiming there is a clear link between reduced transmission and mask wearing. Removing the mask requirement in congregated settings particularly with poor ventilation, is clearly having a detrimental impact in our hospitals according to the INMO.
