Nineteen patients on trolleys in local hospital

There were 19 patients waiting on trolleys in the emergency department at Cavan General Hospital this morning (Tuesday), according to figures provided by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Association.

That is two more patients than yesterday (Monday), where there were 17 patients on trolleys as hospitals continue to grapple with the fallout of flu season.

In total, Tuesday's figures showed there were 803 people waiting on trolleys in acute hospitals nationwide, while the previous day there was 759 patients without a bed.

Commenting on the figures, INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said "yet again" there are "huge numbers of patients being admitted without a bed."

"We know when activity is this high across the system, patient and staff safety suffers," he said.

Across the country, INMO members have advised that they are "very concerned" about the age profile of patients being admitted to hospital on trolleys.

"In one location a 90 year old was waiting on a hard chair for over 45 hours before receiving a bed," he said.

Meanwhile in another location, over 72% of admitted inpatients were over 75 years.

"The fact that older citizens who have been deemed sick enough for admission are being treated on trolleys, chairs and other inappropriate spaces for long periods is distressing," he stated.

“Staffing remains problematic across many sites. Unsafe staffing is undermining the ability of nurses and midwives to deliver safe and timely care.

"The continued use of trolleys and reliance on surge capacity mean that too many nurses are routinely working short-staffed."

He also said that in "many" hospitals, unfilled rosters are becoming "the norm rather than the exception," creating "increasingly unsafe conditions for both nurses and patients.”