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THERE was a record number of patients waiting on trolleys in University Hospital Kerry in July.
There were 415 people waiting on trolleys at UHK in July, an increase of 180 on July 2021 when there were 235 patients on trolleys and up on the previous July record figure of 345 in 2019.
The monthly Trolleywatch figures compiled by the Irish Nurses and Midwives organisation shows that numbers of patients on trolleys in hospitals around the country was 9,191.
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INMO Director of Professional Services Tony Fitzpatrick said: “The level of hospital overcrowding we have seen throughout this summer has been a cause of serious concern.
“Since the beginning of May we have seen 27,832 patients without a bed in Irish hospitals including 9,191 in July. The fact that 95 children under the age of sixteen have been without hospital beds in July should absolutely not be tolerated.
“Unless we see a hospital-by-hospital plan to tackle overcrowding, we are in for a very bleak winter in Irish hospitals which will see nurses and patients in extremely unsafe circumstances.”
