Hospital trolley figures show slight fall in first half of year
Almost 4,200 patients were forced to wait on trolleys at University Hospital Galway and Portiuncula Hospital in the first half of this year – a drop of around 7% 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 June 2019, there were 3,465 patients on trolleys or chairs at UHG.
That figure is down around 9% on the same six-month period in 2018, when it stood at 3,800.
In June alone, there were 546 patients on trolleys, up 9% from 501 in June of 2018.
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 wherever there is space.
At Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, the trolley figures have recorded a slight increase of 3% from 691 to 713 for the half-year period. The June figures saw a decrease from 99 to 92.
For the two hospitals combined, the half-year figures were down just under 7%, from 4,491 to 4,178.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said the summer trolley figures are as bad as they were in winter 2014.
“Our members tell us that there’s no longer a summer respite when it comes to overcrowding. Summer 2019 is as bad as winter was five years ago. Understaffing is driving year-round unsafe conditions.
“The government and HSE need to get a handle on this problem. That means implementing the Safe Staffing Framework and making real progress on Sláintecare. Without serious investment and reform, this problem will continue to spiral, with patients and frontline staff paying the price,” she said.