Number of people on hospital trolleys in Ireland today, according to the INMO
This morning.
The Irish Nurses’ and Midwives’ Organisation announced that there are 760 people on hospital trolleys across Ireland today, referring to it as “the worst-ever figure since records began”.
In a press release, the INMO said:
“The number of patients on trolleys this morning would more than fill the largest hospital in the state, St. James (707 beds) or take more than twice the equivalent of Letterkenny University Hospital (333 beds).
“The previous worst-ever day was 12 March 2018 during the “Beast from the East”, when 714 patients went without beds.
“University Hospital Limerick has also broken the daily record for an individual hospital, with 92 patients on trolleys. The previous highest figure was 85, also in UHL.”
Worst-ever day for trolley overcrowding since records began – INMO
Meanwhile…
Last night, RTÉ reported:
All elective surgery is to be cancelled at Cork’s two main hospitals until further notice in response to overcrowding in their emergency departments.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said earlier that Cork University Hospital and Mercy University Hospital are operating “beyond their limits” and that they expect the situation to get worse next week.
The decision was made following a meeting between the HSE and the INMO.
Elective surgery to be cancelled at two Cork hospitals due to overcrowding (RTÉ)
Meanwhile…
Last Friday…
The front page of the Irish Daily Mail.
Previously: Friday’s Papers
and only the other day the papers had a photo of a triumphant Paschal with a grin beaming across his face along with copy telling us that the economy is stronger than ever, and we’ve had the biggest tax intake of all time. So what are they doing with this money? Every sector is depleted and in dire need of funding.
using it to keep the vulture funds and corporate tax dodgers sweet
It’s true that the system was chronically underfunded for many years in comparison to other OECD countries. Severe cutbacks in health expenditure in the 80’s and 90’s led to the closure of thousands of hospital beds, with result that the number of beds per 1000 people was substantially below the OECD average in 2015, (3·0 vs 4·7). This, however, has been addressed to some degree in the intervening period, though the lag on investment remains.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/state-among-highest-spenders-on-health-per-person-in-oecd-1.3547256
Still, given that we’re spending in excess of €20bn annually on the health service, surely we can expect better outcomes than those we currently experience.
https://pdf.cso.ie/www/pdf/20190717020121_System_of_Health_Accounts_2017_full.pdf
thanks blushirts..
The crumbling infrastructure of our hospitals needs a massive injection of capital. The government can borrow at risibly low rates. This is productive borrowing, not for day to day expenses. Can no-one in government see that?
I just love the armchair economists who look at the health system and declare that it is being underfunded on purpose by the “blueshirts”- ignoring that our population is growing, getting older and getting much fatter.
speaking authoritively on the subject there, while knowing absolutely fupp all about it it seems.
how any new hospital beds have the blushirts created/opened? seeing as our population is growing, getting older and fatter? You’d think, actual government would plan for the future..
We have the 11th-best healthcare system in the world in terms of outcome – better than Singapore, Canada, Japan, and many places above the NHS.
Far from perfect, but nor is it the apocalyptic hell-scape that some would paint it as.
classic Fine Gaeler response, compare us to different countries .. different being the operative word you choose to ignore. We have a small population and should be able to provide adequate health service and not have surgeries cancelled, people sent home, thousands without a bed. It’s very manageable but it’s not being done. You cannot paint this any other way than what it is, a failed healthcare system. You’d look people in the eye sitting on a trolley in a corridor for two days and say “this is fine, dont be hysterical”
There are more public beds (in-patent + day beds) open today (well, technically open in October 2019) at 13,245 than any time in the last 10 years.
There was drop each year between 2009 and 2012 and an increase each year since.
https://www.gov.ie/en/publications/?&type=general-publications&organisation=department-of-health
you’re both dead right. the irish health care system is undeniably class and functioning very well under the competent and active minister, Simon Harris. Allt he realities we know about surgeries being cancelled and no beds for thousands are fictional.
Accept it Cian – our stats are no match for “Dr” Fart’s anecdotes and conjecture.
government figures over INMO figures? I’ll go with the INMO thanks..
Well, the study I was referencing was from the Lancet, but fair enough.
Would this be the same HSE that gave us the figures relating to the Cervical Check scandal?
(plus, the 2019 figures are not ‘validated’ according to the HSE itself. Where does that therefore leave the figures – how can they put forward tables of figures as ‘fact’ when, by their own admission, those figures are not validated?)
https://assets.gov.ie/44897/c2223719066b4a409d22a6cd26d58955.pdf
It would be some trick to have the 2019 figures signed off on by Tuesday 7 January, I would have thought.