HSE says it is 'difficult' to assess numbers on trolleys at Mayo University Hospital
The term trolley refers to “any bed that is put in an area that is not appropriate".
Precise information on the number of patients waiting on trolleys at Mayo University Hospital (MUH) cannot be provided by the HSE because trolley counts are assessed through different circumstances and scenarios, a Mayo councillor has been told.
At the Health Forum West Regional last Tuesday, Castlebar-based Independent Cllr Michael Kilcoyne requested a list of the number of patients on trolleys at MUH for each day since January 1st last and the length of time from when they arrived in the Emergency Department until they got a bed in the hospital.
Integrated Health Manager for Mayo, Mary Warde, stated that daily data reports recorded the number of patients on trolleys or other inappropriate beds; also patients in beds not usually used for patients who were admitted through the emergency department (known as surge capacity); those waiting to be discharged home or into care elsewhere; those waiting on trolleys for more than 24 hours; and those aged 75 or older who were on trolleys for more than 24 hours.
In addition, a daily trolley count logged the number of people on trolleys in emergency departments (ED) and hospital wards, i.e. patients who had been admitted to hospital but did not have a bed on a ward.
She added that the figures do not include patients waiting to be seen or triaged in the ED. Therefore, it was difficult to provide exact figures as the term trolley refers to “any bed that is put in an area that is not appropriate".
"This includes any beds put in corridors or areas where there is not usually a bed," Ms Warde told Cllr Kilcoyne.
