The Health Minister is being called on to “stand up to his promises” and deal with the trolley crisis at the region’s main hospital.
It comes as the latest figures from the INMO show University Hospital Limerick recorded the highest ever level of overcrowding in May.
Long queues are also being reported by nurses at Dooradoyle today.
858 patients were left waiting on trolleys at the region’s main hospital across the month of May, according to the INMO’s latest trolley watch analysis, an almost 37% rise on the same month last year.
It’s the highest level of overcrowding in history during that month for any hospital in the country.
And the problems there are continuing into June.
Today, University Hospital Limerick remains the busiest in the country with 48 on trolleys there this morning, 30 of those in the emergency department.
The overall figure is 18 more than the next busiest hospital.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says the figures confirm that overcrowding is an increasing problem year on year and General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha says action’s needed immediately to stop the figures spiraling,
Fresh calls are now being made on the Health Minister to intervene, in light of the increasing trolley numbers.
A 96-bed unit for UHL has been given the go-ahead in the Government’s capital plan but that could take years to come to fruition, while proposals have been put forward on modular units to accomodate increased capacity in the meantime.
Clare member of the HSE’s Health Forum West, Sixmilebridge Independent Councillor PJ Ryan insists the only answer is an immediate increase in capacity at the Dooradoyle hospital.
