Kildare's main hospital is among the most overcrowded in Ireland
Number of patients on trolleys rises by 14%
Naas General Hospital is listed among the worst overcrowded hospitals in the State this year.
There has been a 14% increase in the number of patients treated on trolleys in 2025.
This is less than the public hospitals in Mullingar (40% rise), Tipperary (23% rise) and Cavan (20% rise) - but it compares with a 5% reduction generally.
According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, which monitors overcrowding figures, Naas is fourth on the list of the most overcrowded facilities.
Over 101,200 patients have been treated on a “trolley, chair or in another inappropriate bed space in Irish hospitals so far this year”, says the INMO.
INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said while the Minister for Health has acknowledged the role nurses have played in reducing the amount of patients on trolleys, the best way to thank them midwives and other healthcare workers is to ensure that all hospitals, are safely staffed, “which currently is not the case.”
She added: “All signs point to the fact that we are going to have a very busy winter period. The HSE has failed to implement a safe staffing plan. Over 1,500 nursing and midwifery posts are vacant across our hospitals, coupled with insufficient capacity in many sites. Unless these posts are filled urgently, hospitals will have to cancel elective appointments.”
Ms Ní Sheaghdha said the need to underpin safe nurse and midwifery staffing with legislation through the Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill has never been more urgent.
“Too many of our members are constantly working short, too many rosters are not filled meaning that our hospitals are becoming increasingly unsafe for nurses and patients alike.”
She claimed the lack of long-term multi-annual funding is “seriously hindering our health service’s ability to get out of this constant cycle we see each winter where hospitals end up at over 100% capacity, appointments get cancelled and health outcomes for patients end up worse.”