There was an increase of over 80% in the number of patients waiting on trolleys in University Hospital Kerry during January this year.
That’s according to figures from the Irish Nurses’ and Midwives’ Organisation.
The INMO figures show there were 411 patients were on trolleys in UHK during the month of January, that’s an increase of over 81% when compared to the same month last year when 227 people waited on trolleys.
In January of 2021, there were 125 people waiting on trolleys, while there were 418 people waiting for a bed in UHK during the same month in 2020.
In 2019, the number of people waiting for a bed at UHK during January stood at 297, while it was 382 in 2018.
Nationally, 11,289 people have been without a hospital bed throughout the first month of this year.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha, who is from Ventry, says a lack of adequate planning has put unnecessary stress on nurses and the patients they’re trying to provide care for.
Ms Ní Sheaghdha says two recent polls show that over 75% of people would not visit an Emergency Department, adding the strategy of telling people not to attend hospital will have knock-on effects across the health service for months to come.
