THE month of July saw a decrease in patients waiting on trolleys at University Hospital Kerry compared to the same month in 2023 and 2022.

According to figures supplied by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) there were 286 patients waiting on trolleys this month compared to 314 in 2023 and 415 in 2022.

Nationally, over 9,755 people, including 73 children, were treated on a trolley, chair or other inappropriate bed space in Irish hospitals in July according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

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Speaking about the national picture, INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “The level of overcrowding this July has been really worrying and is an indicator for what we can expect for the remainder of 2024 unless meaningful action is taken by the HSE and individual hospital groups.

“The trolley figures for July are a clear indicator that the INMO’s call over the past five years for winter planning to commence immediately must now be heeded as the level of demand will only continue to increase over the coming months.

“Over 26% of patients on trolleys this month were placed on a trolley or chair in wards outside of the emergency department. Over 20,287 patients have been treated on a trolley outside of the emergency department so far this year.

This is a worrying trend that should not be accepted. The medical implications of long-term stays on trolleys are well flagged, allowing patients to be treated on wards that are already short-staffed puts patient safety at further risk.”

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THE month of June saw 376 patients waiting on trolleys at University Hospital Kerry, the worst on record at the hospital for that month, according to figures supplied by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

It’s up from 274 in June 2023 and 345 in 2022. Nationally over 9,437 patients, including 70 children were admitted to hospital without a bed in the month of June according to the INMO.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “The fact that over 9,437 people were treated on trolleys in June is clear evidence that our health system is still far too reliant on a hospital system that that doesn’t have enough beds.”

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“The Government must prioritise investment in building and scaling up capacity to meet this demand. This can only be done by increasing bed capacity and also employing nurses to staff these beds.”

“The HSE’s recruitment freeze is making it harder to provide safe and timely care as it is becoming more difficult to fill rosters when staffing is so short. Our members want to be able to provide safe care to patients but also be assured that their own safety in the workplace is being guaranteed — neither are guaranteed when they are working in overcrowded conditions with unsafe staffing levels.”

“The development of community services is critical to reducing the pressure on the hospital system. The recruitment embargo is making it impossible to fill posts in the community and therefore having a direct impact on the ability to provide care outside of the hospital system.

“The recruitment freeze is own goal after own goal. The INMO is consulting with our members who work in the community on the impact the recruitment freeze is having on them. We are now urgently seeking that the HSE reengage with the INMO at the Workplace Relations Commission on their staffing plan for 2024, which still hasn’t been published at the mid-point of the year,” he concluded.

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AFTER three consecutive months where numbers of patients waiting on trolleys at University Hospital Kerry were decreasing on same period the previous year, there was a sharp increase in April.

There were 325 patients waiting on trolleys at UHK last month, the most in April since records began and an increase of 143 on April 2023 (+78%).

Nationally, over 11,070 patients, including 258 children, were admitted to hospital without a bed in April, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

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INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “The fact that we are seeing this level of overcrowding in April is clear that the HSE have not learned any lessons when it comes to reducing the number of patients on trolleys.

“The number of patients admitted without a bed only went below 400 on any given day on one occasion, and over 600 patients were on trolleys on five occasions over the course of the month. By any standard this is unacceptable but to see this type of overcrowding during a month when it is traditionally quieter is a clear indicator that the HSE’s current plans are not working.

“Our members are reporting that the challenges associated with overcrowding are being worsened by the HSE’s recruitment moratorium which is making it impossible to staff any ward safely or to expand nursing services into the community to develop the much needed services as set out in Sláintecare.”

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THIS year has seen the highest numbers of patients waiting on trolleys at University Hospital Kerry since records began in 2006.

There were 3,775 patients waiting on trolleys at the hospital since the start of the year according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

The previous high was in 2019 when there were 3,610 waiting. Over 121,526 patients have gone without a bed in Irish hospitals in 2023 according to the IINMO, making it the worst year for hospital overcrowding nationally on record.

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INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “With six days to Christmas, there has been no let-up in pressure for our nurses and midwives who are working in overcrowded and understaffed hospitals.

“For the second year in a row we have broken overcrowding records. The year is not even over and 121,526 patients have been admitted to hospital without a bed. Over 3,450 children have been on trolleys so far this year, an increase of 24% on the previous year. This is not something to celebrate and was entirely predictable.”

“Instead of coming forward with plans to drastically improve the lot of our members and patients who find themselves in emergency departments, the HSE have instead decided to implement a recruitment freeze which will further demoralise a burned out, exhausted workforce. We know from past experience that it can take a long time to reverse the impact of any recruitment freeze.”

“What will it take for the HSE and Government to act? The independent agency HIQA last week stated that in over 80% of the hospitals they have inspected, patient dignity was compromised and that workforce planning must be prioritised.

“Long delays, inadequate bed space and unsafe staffing levels are making it impossible for our members to provide safe care.”

“We are about to walk into an unbearably busy time in our public hospital system and it is clear that lessons from the not-so-distant past have not been learned when it comes to tackling the root causes of hospital overcrowding,” concluded Ms Ní Sheaghdha.

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THERE was a record number of patients waiting on trolleys in University Hospital Kerry for the month of October.

There were 382 patients waiting on trolleys this month compared to 220 in October of 2022 and the previous October high of 343 in 2021.

Nationwide, 10,538 patients including 273 children went without a bed in October according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

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INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghda said: “We are once again seeing an unacceptable amount of patients on trolleys the day after a bank holiday. Over the three days of the weekend an additional 166 patients were admitted to hospital without beds. The system needs to get a grip on the out of control levels of overcrowding that occur following public holidays.

“The fact that over ten thousand people went without hospital beds in the month of October is concerning. There is acute pressure along the western seaboard.

“We know that there is less staff to deal with the growing demand in our health system that it has a knock on impact on both patient and staff safety. Unsafe staffing levels are going to be a feature of this winter unless we see targeted recruitment and retention plans in each hospital and community care area to allow for more nurses and midwives to be recruited at the pace in which we need them.

“Again this winter, our members are not assured that their safety and that of their patients is a priority. The HSE and Government must outline what steps are being taken both at national and local level to dramatically reduce the number of patients on trolleys.”

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THE number of patients waiting on trolleys at University Hospital Kerry in March was the highest for that month since records began.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation trolley watch figures for the month showed there were 401 patients waiting on trolleys at UHK in March compared to 338 in 2022 and the previous high of 360 in 2019.

The INMO confirmed that this month has been the worst March for overcrowding nationwide since the union began counting trolleys in 2006. There were 12,943 admitted patients, including 447 children, treated on trolleys or chairs in hospitals around the country this month.

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INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “This has been the worst March for overcrowding since the INMO began counting trolleys in 2006. In some hospitals the level of overcrowding we have seen has been out of control and cannot be allowed to continue into the spring and summer months.

“Our analysis on the success of the HSE’s Winter Plan, which is due to come to an end today, has shown that more people than ever have been on trolleys during the health service’s winter period (October-March) with just under 70,000 people on trolleys during this period.

“It is time for the HSE and Department of Health to devise a multi-annual plan as to how we tackle overcrowding. It is clear that it is no longer just a winter overcrowding crisis but a year-long one.

“The State cannot expect nurses to bear the brunt of the crisis and work at full tilt in constantly overcrowded and understaffed wards year-round. Nurses want to be able to carry out the high quality care that they have been trained to do but cannot provide in these circumstances. There must be a change in mindset in how we approach this overcrowding crisis across from senior decision-makers from hospital management to HSE senior management levels. The INMO has sought to meet with the HSE to discuss these issues,” she concluded.

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FEBRUARY saw 289 patients waiting on trolleys in University Hospital Kerry, the highest number for the month since the same period in 2020.

Back in February 2020 there were 449 people waiting on trolleys at UHK, the highest since records began back in 2006.

The monthly Trolleywatch figures compiled by the Irish Nurses and Midwives organisation shows that the number of patients on trolleys in hospitals around the country was 10,040 in February.

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INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “February was an incredibly challenging month for nurses and midwives working in the Irish public health service with over 10,000 people admitted to hospital for care for whom there were no beds.

“We have seen serious spikes of overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick and across all Dublin hospitals throughout the month of February. It is clear that medium and long-term plans are needed to resolve the overcrowding issues in these hospitals.

“Nurses are working in extremely unsafe conditions. Their workplaces are not just overcrowded, they are also short staffed. When wards are not staffed correctly, it has a very profound impact on the level of care our members are able to provide to patients.

“The HSE and Minister for Health must give an update on whether the measures they introduced in January to relieve pressure on our health system have had a real impact and what they are going to do to prevent further spikes in March and April,” she said.

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YET again this year, this month was a record-breaker for the number of patients waiting on trolleys in University Hospital Kerry.

There were 343 people waiting on trolleys at UHK in August, an increase of 16 on the previous record for August last year when there were 327 patients on trolleys.

This follows on from a record-breaking June and July at the hospital for trolley figures. 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 9,603 in August.

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INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said:  “For the third time this year, we have seen another monthly overcrowding record broken with 9,603 patients on trolleys through out the month of August.

“The consistently high levels of overcrowding we have seen this summer are sounding the alarm for a very bleak winter ahead unless immediate action is taken by the Minister for Health and the HSE in the form of a fully funded, winter plan. This plan should be published prior to the Emergency Taskforce reconvening on September. It is not good enough to publish a plan for winter when healthcare workers and patients are in the throes of a winter crisis.”

“As we head into a winter of unknowns in our health service, the Minister for Health and senior HSE management must make it their business to take every step that they can to protect nurses, midwives and patients.

“We know that over 1,171 healthcare workers have contracted COVID in the past four weeks. It is vital now that the booster and flu vaccines are provided to healthcare workers. The health and safety of our healthcare workforce and patients depends on it,” added Ms Ní Sheaghdha.

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.”

THE number of patients waiting on trolleys at University Hospital Kerry in March was the highest for that month since March 2019.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation trolley watch figures for the month showed there were 338 patients waiting on trolleys at UHK compared to 144 in 2021, 169 in 2020 and 360 in 2019.

The INMO confirmed that March 2022 has been the worst March for overcrowding nationwide since the union began counting trolleys in 2006.

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INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “When nurses and midwives use phrases like ‘out of control’ and ‘chaotic’ to describe hospital overcrowding we do not do so lightly. It has been the worst March for overcrowding since our union began counting trolleys in 2006 with 11,001 without beds.

“It has been an extremely busy month for those working in our hospitals with over 37% of those who have been on trolleys since the beginning of 2022 presenting to our hospitals in March.

“Hospitals are currently not safe for patients or for staff because of the level of overcrowding and COVID infection levels. We need clear and coherent public health advice from Government and senior public health officials. The public need to be made aware of why we need them to once again step up to the plate in order to protect those who are working on our frontlines.”