The number of patients on trolleys at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda has reached a record high, the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) said today.
There were 40 people on trolleys waiting for in-patient beds in the emergency department this morning — 15 of whom have been waiting since Friday night.
Ambulances are being delayed at the hospital due to a shortage of trolleys while staff are at breaking point, according to INO industrial relations officer Tony Fitzpatrick.
"This crisis is a result of mistakes made in the past where services provided at other hospitals in the North East were transferred to Drogheda without putting resources and infrastructure in place to cope with the extra demands being put on the hospital," he said.