INMO says in 2024, over 100,000 patients waited on trolleys in Ireland

DUBLIN, Ireland: According to figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), over 100,000 patients have waited on trolleys in Irish hospitals this year.

So far, in 2024, 100,111 patients have been treated in hospitals without beds. In response to these ongoing issues, the INMO has begun balloting its members on potential industrial action due to recruitment challenges.

University Hospital Limerick recorded the highest number of patients on trolleys, with 18,944 people waiting for a bed. Cork University Hospital followed with 10,923 patients, and University Hospital Galway had 9,388 patients on trolleys this year.

Other hospitals facing significant overcrowding include Sligo University Hospital, with 6,321 patients, and St Vincent's University Hospital, where 5,644 people have been left waiting on trolleys.

INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said the figures were not surprising, as the union had repeatedly warned that recruitment caps and post suppressions would worsen the situation.

"We've been cautioning for months that the ongoing issues in the health service will only grow worse with the current recruitment restrictions, and once again, we've been proven right," she said. "The HSE and the Department of Health claim they are committed to improving safety, but their recruitment policies tell a different story."

Ni Sheaghdha highlighted the impact on healthcare workers, stating that INMO members are stretched thin, working long hours without breaks and managing increasingly unmanageable workloads in understaffed, high-stress environments.

"The HSE and Government have essentially allowed recruitment to slow to a crawl, with staff retirements and long-term leave replacements delayed. Existing staff are left to fill in the gaps," she added.

The INMO is urging political candidates to prioritize healthcare reforms, including the swift passage of the Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill, which would ensure safe staffing levels are legally mandated.

"For many of our members, seeing over 100,000 patients being treated in inappropriate spaces before November is simply unacceptable," Ni Sheaghdha concluded.

On October 24, 69 people were waiting for a bed at University Hospital Limerick and 42 at University Hospital Galway.