Almost 4,900 left waiting for bed at UHG in first eight months
There were almost 4,900 people left waiting on trolleys and chairs at University Hospital Galway in the first eight months of this year – up more than 12.5% on the same period last year.
Figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation – which records the ‘Trolley and Ward Watch’ numbers at every public hospital in the country – show that between January and the end of August, there were 4,876 patients on trolleys or chairs at UHG.
That figure is up almost 12.6% on the same eight-month period for last year, when it stood at 4,331.
In Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, there were 933 patients on trolleys in the first eight months of 2018, down a massive 28% from 1,300 in the same period in 2017.
Trolley Watch is based on Emergency Department admissions who are left waiting on trolleys and includes ‘Ward Watch’ (those on trolleys or chairs in wards in excess of that ward’s capacity).
For August alone, there were 619 patients on trolleys in UHG (down 3.75% from 643 in August 2017), while there were 162 in Portiuncula (up more than 210% from 52 for the same month last year).
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghadha, said that nationally, August was the worst month on record for overcrowding, with 7,911 forced to wait on chairs or trolleys – up 2%.
“Even though it was a mild month, patients and staff faced record overcrowding. Nearly 8,000 sick and injured people were forced to wait without a bed.
“The message from the frontline is clear: this all comes down to pay. The HSE simply cannot find enough nurses and midwives to work on these wages.
“Unless nurses and midwives get pay equality with similarly-qualified health professionals, vacancies will remain open and things will only get worse,” said Ms Ní Sheaghadha.