Thirty four people on trolleys today at St Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny

521 admitted patients are waiting for beds this morning, according to today’s INMO Trolley Watch. 434 patients are waiting in the emergency department, while 87 are in wards elsewhere in the hospital.

At St Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny the current trolley total is 24 and the ward total is 10, meaning 34 patients are waiting for beds in total. This summer has seen consistently high figures for patients waiting for beds in Kilkenny and autumn continues to see this trend escalating. 

Every morning at 8am, INMO members count how many patients are waiting in the Emergency Department for a bed and how many are waiting in wards elsewhere in the hospital. The INMO Trolley Watch counts the number of patients who have been admitted to acute hospitals, but who are waiting for a free bed. These patients are often being treated on trolleys in corridors, but they may also be on chairs, in waiting rooms, or simply wherever there’s space. The INMO started Trolley Watch in 2004.