Trolley figures indicate a difficult winter ahead at Sligo University Hospital

Sinn Féin TD for Sligo Leitrim Martin Kenny has expressed concern about the number of patients on trolleys in hospitals nationally.

Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation's (INMO) latest figures show 747 patients, including 32 children, have been admitted to Irish hospitals without a bed, which indicates that a difficult period lies ahead for workers and patients in Sligo University Hospital."

Martin said that the Government needs to deliver more hospital capacity over the last three years in addition to the Government's decision to underfund health services in the 2023 budget.

"The INMO count of 54 patients inappropriately admitted to hospital without a bed yesterday in Sligo University Hospital is a stark warning of a tough Winter ahead for our local hospitals.

"Workers and patients in Sligo and Leitrim will face severely overcrowded hospitals, which will have no choice but to cancel planned appointments and surgeries to cope with surging winter demand," he said.

The Fianna Fáil Health Minister announced 1,200 new beds three years ago, but 200 have yet to be delivered.

Martin said that Minister Donnelly has also announced 1,500 new beds on a number of occasions – but he failed to secure them in the Budget.

"The Government knows that these beds are needed, and needed urgently. They must be delivered quickly. But now we have a plan for new beds with no funding.

"People across the northwest are being badly let down by the Government's mismanagement of health services, particularly those who are spending their admission to A&E or a ward sitting on a chair or lying in a corridor on a trolley.

"Delivery of the much-needed elective centres is behind schedule. We have also learned recently that the urgently required surgical hubs won't be delivered until late next year.

"On top of this, the HSE is restricted by a recruitment embargo because of this Government's deliberate decision to underfund the health service," he said.