Number of patients on trolleys drops below 500

The number of hospital patients stuck on trolleys has fallen to 466, down from a record high of 612 last week, according to new figures.

However, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said the numbers did not indicate that the hospital waiting crisis was getting better as there are usually fewer patients on trolleys on Mondays.

The INMO’S trolley and ward watch data for Monday showed 104 patients on trolleys in hospitals in the east and 362 patients on trolleys in the rest of the country. Figures from January 3rd showed 612 patients waiting on trolleys amid and outbreak of influenza cases.

INMO general secretary Liam Doran said while the reduction was welcome, he would not be “sanguine or comfortable” about the figures.

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He said with the national focus on trolley number last week and the subsequent cancellation of elective procedures, reduced numbers of patients on trolleys were to be expected.

“But it’s still about 30 up on the same period last year,” he said, adding: “the challenge is still on and the concerns are still great.”

The crisis last week prompted the HSE to announce it was opening dozens of extra hospital beds. The HSE said that the measures were designed to address the increased number of patients in emergency departments as well as a spike in flu which was exacerbating the challenging situation in hospitals.

A number of private hospitals were also asked to assist ease the overcrowding.

Additionally, the HSE committed to opening an extra 63 beds in hospitals as follows: 28 beds in Galway University Hospital, 15 beds in the Mater, eight beds in Kilkenny and 12 beds in Tullamore. It did not say exactly when these beds would open but said a discharge lounge would be opened in Waterford in the coming weeks. It will also introduce enhanced discharge processes between hospitals.

The first time the trolley count breached the 600 mark was January 6th last year, when it hit 601. Numbers overall had nearly doubled between what had been described as a “national emergency” in 2007 (50,402 admitted patients on trolleys) and 2016 (93,621) - an increase of 86 per cent, the INMO said.