There was nearly a 36% decrease in the number of patients waiting on trolleys in University Hospital Kerry during October this year.
Figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives’ Organisation show there were 220 patients waiting on trolleys in the Tralee-based hospital throughout last month.
The INMO figures show that 220 patients were on trolleys in UHK during the month of October, that’s a decrease of almost 36% when compared to the same month last year when 343 people waited on trolleys.
In October 2020, there were 241 people were waiting on trolleys, while there were 306 people waiting for a bed in UHK during the same month in 2019.
In 2018, that figure stood at 287, while it was 240 in 2017.
Nationally, 10,679 people have been without a hospital bed in the month of October, making it the second highest October on record, with 393 children among those waiting for a bed.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha, who is from Ventry, says unsafe staffing levels are going to be a feature of this winter unless there’s targeted recruitment and retention plans in each hospital.
She says all capacity that’s available to the State must be made available until at least March, adding they urgently need access to private hospital resources, increased staffing and a detailed timeline for the winter plan.
