Elderly woman spends 15 hours on hospital trolley

The woman, believed to be 103, finally got a bed this morning.

AN ELDERLY WOMAN spent several hours on a trolley before getting a bed at Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore, Co Offaly.

RTÉ first reported the incident, saying the woman in question is 103 years old and was on a trolley for 15 hours.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the hospital told TheJournal.ie: “We can confirm that a patient presented to the Emergency Department (ED) yesterday. The patient was seen within 19 minutes of arrival and was under the care of the ED team.

“Due to high levels of attendances and admissions currently being experienced by the hospital, our full capacity protocol is in place.

“While we cannot comment on individual cases, we can confirm that the patient was referred to a specialist team and the decision to admit was within three hours. The patient received the first available inpatient bed this morning.”

Read: There has actually been a slight drop in people on hospital trolleys this year

Read: Patients left lying on trolleys while 40-bed unit remains vacant at nearby hospital

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