Worst September ever for overcrowding

CUH was the second most overcrowded hospital in Ireland last month as the country recorded its worst September ever.

That’s according to new figures released by the INMO this morning which showed that CUH had 936 patients go without beds last month, second only to University Hospital Limerick (UHL) with 1,405.

In total around the country, 10,641 patients were left without beds in September, double the amount of people on trolleys in September 2009.

According to the figures, University Hospital Galway was third worst with 884 patients, ahead of University Hospital Waterford with 707, and Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin with 639.

In September 2018 CUH had 781 patients without beds with a nationwide count of 7,824.

INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “These are simply astonishing figures, especially outside of winter. It’s placing a massive strain on our members on the frontline and is seriously worsening patient care.

“We have now seen 80 consecutive days where the trolley figures are higher than 2018, often by as much as 50 per cent.

“This is beyond unsustainable. At the root of the problem is capacity. We need more hospital beds and more nurses and midwives to staff them. The HSE’s disastrous recruitment pause simply has to go.

“Ireland needs to reform its health service and Sláintecare is the clear path forward. But it needs to be more than reports and press conferences. It takes real investment and a shift towards primary care,” she said.