Hospital overcrowding: ‘There were many in that waiting room in visible agony’

Patients have spoken about spending nights sleeping on trolleys and waiting for hours in overcrowded emergency departments, while healthcare staff report an increasingly fraying hospital system.

Tuesday and Wednesday have seen the highest and second highest numbers of patients waiting on trolleys in hospitals on record, according to figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

There were 838 patients admitted to hospitals left waiting on trolleys in emergency departments or wards on Wednesday, and a record 931 waiting on trolleys the day before.

Those responding to a social media call-out by The Irish Times to share their experiences spoke about long waiting times in emergency departments, as well as staff facing burnout.

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I must have gotten a maximum of two hours sleep the first night

—  Cancer patient

One cancer patient, who did not wish to be named, said he was left on a trolley for two nights after attending Tallaght University Hospital with a serious infection.

The man, who started chemotherapy last month after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, said the emergency department was “fully occupied”.

After being assessed by a triage nurse, the patient was put on a trolley in an isolation room, where he said he spent the next two nights waiting for a bed.

The man said while lying on the trolley he could “barely” rest his arms beside him, and had difficulty sleeping.

“After the first night I felt pain under my left shoulder blade from the awkward position of my left arm,” he said. “I must have gotten a maximum of two hours sleep the first night.”

Given his immune system has been compromised, the patient said he did not feel safe leaving the room, given the likely number of patients with respiratory viruses in the nearby emergency department.

“The fatigue and other side-effects that come with chemotherapy are a challenge to deal with in the comfort of one’s own bedroom, let alone in a room which is separated only by a door from the understandably busy corridor of an emergency department,” he said.

On the third day, the man said he was moved to a bed in the hospital’s oncology ward.

A spokeswoman for Tallaght University Hospital said while it cannot comment on individual cases, it “regrets any delay a patient experiences whilst waiting in our emergency department”.

Unscheduled care in the hospital had been “extremely busy” in recent weeks, and there was a “clear underlying requirement to develop additional onsite bed capacity”, the spokeswoman said.

“Whilst patients who have been admitted may wait for a bed on a ward, there is no delay to the start of their treatment/care required,” she added.

We decided the best thing to do was drive to the hospital and take her home

—  Cork man

Another man, who also did not wish to be named, said on December 30th his 88-year-old mother collapsed with Covid-19 and had to be taken to Cork University Hospital (CUH). The man said his mother was left waiting in the back of an ambulance for several hours, as the emergency department was “full”.

“We decided the best thing to do was drive to the hospital and take her home. She had stabilised a bit by then and we said fingers crossed she would be okay that night at home, which she was,” he said.

Asked about the incident, a spokesperson for CUH said it did not comment on individual cases, but acknowledged the hospital “is experiencing high levels of demand for services and is currently operating at maximum capacity”.

“Regrettably, while patients presenting at the hospital are experiencing long delays, urgent patients will always be prioritised for treatment and care. Patients are advised and encouraged to consider all other care pathways, including pharmacies, GPs, GP out-of-hours services and minor injury units before presenting at the hospital.”

No option but to leave and risk my daughter’s health

—  Father of young child

A father of a young child said he was left waiting for hours in an emergency department after being advised to bring his 10-month old baby in for a check after they banged their head.

“Eight hours later still standing, and no sign of seeing a doctor, I was told it would be at least another 12 hours,” he said.

The father said he felt he had “no option but to leave and risk my daughter’s health”.

There were many in that waiting room in visible agony …

—  Dairine Keogh, from Dublin

Dairine Keogh, from Dublin, said she was left “sitting on a chair” in St Vincent’s Hospital for 36 hours last September. Since her own ordeal, she said she now regularly thinks of those waiting in emergency departments when she is driving past the hospital.

“There were many in that waiting room in visible agony … I got as far as the inner ‘trolley’ area but was quickly brought back to the waiting room as a woman who had a cardiac problem took the cubicle,” she said.

A spokeswoman for St Vincent’s University Hospital said it had been dealing with “unprecedented levels of daily attendance” in its emergency department over a number of months, which had intensified in recent weeks.

“None of this minimises the inconvenience that patients and their loved ones experience during long waits in the ED, and we apologise to anyone who has been impacted,” she said.

If we continue to drive staff from jobs in the public health service through impossible working conditions and wages that lag far behind inflation, there will be no system to protect

—  Dr Marguerite Carter

Dr Marguerite Carter, a non-consultant hospital doctor who has worked in several Irish hospitals over 11 years, said on “99 per cent of days” she had seen patients waiting on trolleys.

Dr Carter said she had seen overcrowding in “every emergency department of every hospital I have worked in”, as a result of “management failure and under-resourcing of the health service”.

“If we continue to drive staff from jobs in the public health service through impossible working conditions and wages that lag far behind inflation, there will be no system to protect,” she said.

Even extra money will not solve the problem

—  Nurse

Another nurse with nearly 40 years’ experience, who did not wish to be named, said younger nurses were “traumatised” as a result of working with a lack of supports.

“I think we have a major crisis that is not going to get better, even extra money will not solve the problem,” she said. The nurse said she was happy none of her three children had any interest in careers in nursing or healthcare.