West's hospitals struggle to cope with demand for beds
More than 600 patients across the West’s three main hospital were left waiting on trolleys and wards over a four-day period last week.
The staggering figures compiled by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) reveal the scale of the overcrowding problems encountered at Mayo University Hospital (MUH), University Hospital Galway (UHG) and Sligo University Hospital (SUH).
Between Tuesday and Friday (no figures were available for Bank Holiday Monday), there were 60 people left without a bed at the hospitals. Over the four-day period, there were 262 patients on trolleys at UHG while SUH was not far behind on 243. Overcrowding at MUH saw 103 patients on trolleys and wards.
The INMO warned of the threat to patient safety as hospitals struggled to cope.
“Overcrowding is not just restricted to a handful of large hospitals, we are seeing patients on trolleys and an over-reliance on surge capacity in nearly each acute hospital," said INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha. "Each hospital is now over 100% capacity, well over the recommended 85% occupancy rate. Statutory bodies such as HIQA and the HSA need to urgently get on the pitch. Patient and staff safety is at serious risk in conditions like this."
Over 13,000 patients were treated without a bed in hospitals across the country in January. There were 480 people left without a bed at MUH over the course of last month. That figure climbed to 1,356 at UHG and 995 at SUH.
The INMO said it has raised concerns with the HSE about the continuous use of so-called surge capacity, which they say involves additional bed capacity for which no additional staffing is allocated. The union said the aim for 2026 must be to increase bed capacity and ensure that all beds are properly staffed.
Concerns about the situation at MUH have been continually raised.
“Families want to see real measures taken now," said Cllr Harry Barrett. "That means extra staff, beds opened without delay, and proper planning so that no patient is left on a trolley for hours on end. This is about ordinary people who get sick and expect to be looked after when they come through the doors of their local hospital. They deserve safety, dignity and timely care."
