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THE number of patients waiting on trolleys in the Emergency Department and wards at University Hospital Kerry decreased in January on the same month in 2018, according to the latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
There were 297 patients waiting on trolleys last month, compared to 382 in January 2018, a drop of around 23%. However, the figure does not include January 30, as INMO members were on strike.
Nationally, there were 10,350 admitted patients forced to wait without hospital beds last month.
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This represents a 55% increase on the number of patients waiting for beds in January 10 years ago and a 30% increase on January five years ago. Among the 10,350 patients were 190 children.
INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said: “Over 10,000 hospital patients didn’t even have a bed last month in Ireland’s health service. At the heart of this problem is understaffing. We simply cannot recruit and retain enough nurses and midwives on these wages.
“Ireland’s nurses and midwives are no longer prepared to tolerate these conditions, for themselves or for their patients.”
