Nearly 290 people had no bed in Naas Hospital last month
A total of 286 patients had no bed when admitted to Naas General Hospital during November.
This equates to the combined figures for November 2021 and November 2020 (when the Covid-19 pandemic caused a reduction in hospital admissions nationwide).
However, it is less than the admission figure for 2019 when 431 people were admitted to the hospital through the emergency department that month without a bed being immediately available.
The 431 figure is the highest for any November since the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation began recording admission figures in 2006.
However it was a much bleaker picture across the country.
According to the INMO a total of 12,624 people had no bed on admission during last month. And this included 563 children.
Once again University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded facility with 1,569 patients having no bed, followed by Cork university Hospital (1,334), Letterkenny University Hospital (1,108), Sligo University Hospital (783) and Galway University Hospital (703).
“We have seen yet another chaotic month in Irish hospitals, we have only had two days this month where there has been less than 500 people admitted to hospital without an inpatient bed. For the first time we have had over 563 children admitted without a bed in our hospitals. This cannot continue,” said INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha
“The children’s hospitals are experiencing severe staffing shortages with up to 45% staffing deficits in some sites, and long-standing vacancies in nurse manager roles. This is reflected in very high numbers of children waiting on trolleys across the CHI sites, accompanied by relatives in very cramped and overcrowded spaces. It is now commonplace that up to 40 sick children a day have to wait for a bed, while nurses in the hospitals struggle to provide safe care.
“This is not only dangerous for staff and for patients, it is simply no way to safely treat sick children who are admitted to hospital. It also places a further burden on families who have to experience long waits while accompanying a sick child, potentially overnight.”