Letterkenny University Hospital named amongst Ireland’s overcrowded hospitals
Letterkenny University Hospital was named as one of the top five most overcrowded hospitals for May.
Data released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) listed the hospital in fifth place in the most patients admitted to the hospital without a bed, at 468 patients.
University Hospital Limerick topped the unfortunate list, with 2,055 patients admitted without a bed, followed by University Hospital Galway, Cork University Hospital, and St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “The number of people on trolleys is still much too high. We are still seeing near-daily instances of over 400 people being treated of over 400 people being treated on trolleys, chairs, or other inappropriate bed spaces every day.
“We want to engage proactively with the HSE to ensure that our members can cope with the seasonal and predictable challenges that they are likely to encounter over the coming months.
“We are yet again seeing unacceptable levels of overcrowding in the Midwest and West, where there are to no capacity release valves to help ease overcrowding. The delivery of fully-staffed, additional capacity must be a priority for the HSE in these areas.
“Persistent overcrowding does not just have an impact on patient outcomes, it also impacts nurse and midwife safety and wellbeing. We know that when hospitals are overcrowded, assaults are more regular and staff burnout and intention to leave rise. These are very real issues that need to be addressed by the Health Service Executive.”