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THERE WAS A record number of patients kept waiting for hospital beds on trolleys last year, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has revealed.
In its annual trolley watch survey, the INMO found that 86,481 people who had been admitted to hospital were left on trolleys – an increase of 14 per cent on 2010 figures.
The INMO said that last year saw the highest numbers since records began in 2004, when the figure stood at about 55,700.
Patients on trolleys are now a “daily reality in some hospitals that had previously avoided this indignity to patients,” said General Secretary Liam Doran.
There was a dramatic increase in the figures revealed by numerous hospitals around the country. St Luke’s in Kilkenny saw a mammoth 639 per cent rise (up from 140 to 1034), while Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise noted a 352 per cent jump from 426 to 1926.
Doran said the massive leap is a result of increased demand for treatment, bed closures, cutbacks in community services and difficulties with the Fair Deal scheme.
In the greater Dublin area, numbers on trolleys actually fell by about 6 per cent, or 2,188, but outside the capital the level of overcrowding increased significantly with an extra 12,810 people on trolleys.
Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda had the highest number of people kept waiting on trolleys at 7,449, followed by Beaumont Hospital in Dublin with 7,410.
December figures
There was some more positive news as December saw a 13 per cent reduction in the number of patients on trolleys when compared to the same month in 2010.
The nursing organisation’s executive council praised the efforts of the Special Delivery Unit in the Department of Health for the improvements.
The INMO has called on Minister for Health James Reilly to revise the HSE’s National Service Plan to allow the SDU to continue its work by opening closed beds and protect community supports.
A total of 2,229 public beds are currently closed across Irish hospitals, marking a increase of 627 over the past 12 months. The HSE Service Plan outlined that a further 555 non-acute beds will close in 2012.
The worst year so far, we ‘aint seen nothing yet folks.
Sure at least our TD’s have a nice clean shirt….!
It’s about all that is clean about them TRAITORS THE LIT OF THEM and circles comes to mind with them useless failed teachers and doctors etc etc
Thats true
I worry about how much more the Irish can be pushed and pi**ed on. Irish people are very nice people true, obedient and quiet, the politicians know this very well. But I don’t think they will stay like that much longer. I have never seen any government laugh at their people so much, more and more. It even makes me angry actual, to see all their salaries, lies, how they care only about bank and EU friends and laundry expenses but they laugh as old people, children and the most vulnerable suffer. This can not be accepted forever, sometimes people are push so much they stand up and refuse to be pushed anymore. You must remember that these people work for you! You pay their salaries! They are supposed to put your best interests first! No country can tolerate such contempt forever.
No one will do anything about it!! Everyone just gets on with it!! Probably explains why we were shat on and pissed on for over 800years!!! We have to obey our rulers
Maybe you are right. Maybe its because that mentailty is still in Irish, to obey and serve. But, you were also famous for fighting for 800 years against oppressors? That seems to have completely changed in this generation :(
do you not think it is up to each individual to take a stand either get a group going or join a group just like the home tax group or the water charge or the H a c groups in your area write emails/letters and show you dissatisfaction at the performance of All Politicians and give them the message you have for them
I wonder what percentage on trollies in Berlin or Paris.
This is 2012 not a M A S H war time situation.
Perhaps the HSE should instal pat and display tickets for trolly patients
Is Feidir linn me arse !!!
Well when they close down beds and A&Es and transfer depts without forward planning what do we expect useless….and only devastation for the likes of the ordinary person …. It is time to get them out and fast otherwise we will have nothing left
Is there any way to compare numbers on, trollies here and in europe? Would be interesting to see comparison.
@Niamh Are there people on trollies in major European countries and cities? A couple of years ago I asked a technician, who worked in hospitals all over Europe, which country had the best hospitals? I always assumed France had. He told me it hadn’t, most of their hospitals were in fact filthy and the ones we see on TV were the private facilities, the “Hermitages and Blackrocks” of France, access to healthcare in France he said was superb but the hospitals left a lot to be desired. The best hospitals he found were in Germany, he said every one was top notch and run to perfection, he couldn’t find any fault with any German hospital he visited. Incidently his field was infection control and prevention.
Thanks Brian.Well that’s great for germany…I’m delighted…well done them…couldn’t be in a nicer country…(:
Would love to see statistics if they even exist, don’t know how comparable they would be tho.
I agree Niamh, as our health system declines their’s goes on just fine. Something wrong there, maybe we’re even paying for them. Now we have a taste of what its like to have a Third World Health System, soon we won’t have any.
I think its horrendous to think of the poor people stuck on a trolley. Yet the dopes in the dail think its okay to keep their dry cleaning allowance. We all know by now where the governments priorities lie. And its not with the average Joe and josephine soap on the street.
Sharon Larkin . Join the Campaign against household tax and water charges
Join the local Hospital Action Committee to keep your hospital open this shower of no hopers .FG/Lab closed our A+E in Roscommon to a devastating effect on our health services And this Shower are going to jail the lot of us for NOT paying OUR home tax that we pay tax 3 ways we paid tax on our homes when purchased we also pay tax on mortgages and we also pay taxes on everything we bought to make that House A Home and the water charges what a joke with all the leaks and loss of water if they fixed the leaks they would realize that the usage is not anything as high as production at all Charges and taxes and levies and PRSI and Usc are destroying us PRSI was introduced in 197o’s to cover hospital services and pay the dole and social welfare and social welfare pensions then they bring out USC’s last year to do the very same but they still take the PRSI contribution from your income and now they are talking about the U.H.C.
Universal Social charge I understand that to be water charges and refuse collection and upkeep of our areas such a green area and Parks Road Tax is and always was for the upkeep of our roads and our Income Tax was for the upkeep of our Country and to maintain our Historical Relics But the Politicians for MANY MANY years have been corrupt some accepting brown envelopes and when it was brought to the public domain “it was Banned” but what did they do then only grant themselves over sized salaries and an over sized increase every year since to make up for the loss of earnings from the brown envelopes and no-one were either silenced or did not have the guts to say STOP and we as the tax payer have been too trusting to stand up and say STOP
So i am saying GO GO GO to the Government and saying to the Hard Working TAX PAYER GO GO GO to the Streets and let this shower of dishonest government that if the bondholders (GAMBLERS) are paid that it totally against our wishes and that we do not want this money paid and we want a new deal with the IMF
This can not be true? What about the ‘five point plan’ and the promises to Irelands people? Nooooooooooo surely when Irish vote they are not so naive?
You can bet not one patient on a trolley was a politician, a property developer or a banker.
and never will be the Government Cabinet members will always be brought in the back door of a A+E dept of a public hospital and Private hospitals only have A+E services daytime hours and will always be treated like gold dust out of “respect for their position and their security (by the way I do not respect them today )
Why was my comment deleted? Im getting sick of this woman censoring peoples comments just for having an opinion
Ok I am sorry. It wasnt censored, sorry about this. I think its my phone problem
Just wondering, but don’t all hospital beds not have wheels on them. Before people start giving out, I know there is a massive “trolley” sorted. It’s just an observation
You obviously have not spent a night on a trolley in an a and e corridor, I have and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. There is no comparison between a trolley in a corridor and a bed in a ward….I missed ur point re the beds having wheels???
Well I have, but that wasn’t the point anyway. It was more a Silly observation than anything else.
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