Phil Ni Sheaghdha said nurses and midwives are under severe pressure and they are dealing with “huge numbers” of patients, including rising numbers of Covid cases. Photo: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie
More than 21,000 patients have been on hospital trolleys waiting for a bed so far this year, the Oireachtas health committee will hear today.
The committee will hear presentations on hospital overcrowding from four health unions including the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
The INMO will highlight the detrimental effect on patient health caused by long waits on trolleys as well as the stressful working conditions this causes for nurses.
They will call for “zero tolerance” for hospital overcrowding, and for bed occupancy rates to be reduced to 85%, which is internationally considered a safe rate.
Irish hospitals regularly run at near or over 100% occupancy, meaning HSE data frequently shows hospitals with no free beds.
Speaking ahead of the Committee meeting, INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “We know that if a patient is on a trolley for more than five hours it can have a significant knock-on impact on their health and indeed their mortality.”
She called on the Department of Health, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), and the HSE need to step up to their responsibilities.
It is extremely disappointing that the HSE has not prioritised convening the Emergency Department Taskforce despite numerous requests.
“As of March 8th, 21,535 patients have been on trolleys so far this year, a sharp increase of over 170% compared to 2021.”
Ms Ni Sheaghdha said nurses and midwives are under severe pressure and they are dealing with “huge numbers” of patients, including rising numbers of Covid cases.
“We are swiftly moving back to the bad old days of consistently seeing high numbers of patients on trolleys,” she said.
Overcrowding is 'endemic' in the health system
The INMO carried out a survey of nursing and midwifery staff at eight hospitals.
In Cork University Hospital, 71.71% said they had worked additional unpaid hours over contracted hours of employment during the last 12 months.
In University Hospital Limerick, 80.64% said they always or often felt worn out by the end of the day.
In University Hospital Kerry, 89.81% stated based on their professional judgment the current staffing levels and skill mix in their area were not appropriate for meeting clinical and patient work demands. Of these, 79.78% felt that patient safety was put at risk “often,” "very often" or "always."
Ms Ni Sheaghdha said the pandemic did not cause overcrowding and described the problem as “endemic” in the system.
The health committee will also hear from the Irish Medical Organisation, SIPTU and Forsa trade unions.
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