Cork trolley numbers double as winter looms

A Cork TD has slammed the Government’s failure to resource hospitals in Cork as Leeside trolley figures more than double in the space of a month.

Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould, was responding to the latest INMO figures which show there were 52 people on trolleys in Cork hospitals on 31 July, compared with 23 on 30 June.

Teachta Gould described the situation as an “absolute disgrace” and said hospital overcrowding is “no longer a winter issue”.

“People are being forced to sleep on trolleys when attending emergency departments in Cork throughout the year now,” said the deputy.

“Under the current Government and this Minister for Health, the metrics have headed in one direction – the wrong direction,” he added.

Deputy Gould warned that when speaking about trolley numbers, it can be “easy to get lost in the statistics” and reminded the Government that every one of these numbers represents a person.

He said: “Previous spikes in numbers have been explained as winter surges but we have these huge numbers in the middle of the summer.

“We are seeing issues in rural areas with access to out-of-hours doctors services and no real progress on the elective hospital. The reality is that these are all issues that are impacting on hospitals and on presentations to emergency departments.”

Mr Gould’s comments follow a stark “red flag” warning for the winter ahead from INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha who demanded the HSE clearly set out what measures it intends to take to reduce the levels of overcrowding.

According to INMO figures, over 72,000 patients have been on trolleys so far this year, a 10% increase on the same period last year.

Ms Ní Sheaghdha said: “This is a bleak sign heading into the winter months.

“It has been reported that the Cabinet has signed off on a year-round plan for the HSE. The INMO will be now seeking details of the staff support measures it contains as staff cannot be expected to just endure these conditions for another winter."

Referring to inspection reports published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), Ms Ní Sheaghdha said there is a pattern emerging across the vast majority of hospitals that unsafe levels of staffing is compromising both patient and staff safety.

She continued: “Safe staffing underpinned by legislation must go hand-in-hand with any plan produced to tackle year-round overcrowding.

“As the HSE and individual hospital groups prepare for winter, infection control measures must be assessed ahead of predictable winter infection surges.

“We have already seen hospitals such as University Hospital Kerry review their mask-wearing and visitor policies because of infection outbreaks in July.

“A dynamic infection control plan is needed across all hospital sites as airborne viruses will no doubt play a major factor in hospital overcrowding in the months ahead.”