The first four months of this year saw the worst over-crowding in our hospitals since records began.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says over 36 thousand patients waited on trolleys for an in-patient bed in the first third of the year.
South Tipp General and University Hospital Limerick – both serving patients in Tipperary – are consistently among the most overcrowded EDs in the country.
The situation improved slightly in April when almost 7,200 patients waited on trolleys – that’s a 12 per cent improvement on April 2016.
The figures were released as the INMO prepares to open its annual delegate conference in Wexford later today.
General Secretary Liam Doran says overcrowding is putting patients at risk.
Improving pay for the profession is also a key issue for this year’s conference.
