Trolley Waiting Numbers More Than Treble Overnight In Wexford General Hospital

695 admitted patients are on trolleys in hospitals today. University Hospital Limerick accounts for the largest number of those with 119, followed by University Hospital Galway with 73.

In Wexford General Hospital there are 15 people waiting up 12 from yesterday.

The INMO says of the total number of people waiting for beds 419 are in emergency departments while 276 are in wards elsewhere.

The following statement was received by the HSE:

HSE DSE response: Wexford General Hospital remains busy with high patient volumes and increasing complexity of care. We acknowledge that people are awaiting admission on a trolley in our emergency department. This is not the standard of care we want for patients of our services, and we regret that any patient would have to wait for a hospital bed in this way.

We are doing all we can to optimise the flow of patients through our hospital. People who are seriously injured or ill are assessed and treated as a priority and those who do not require urgent care may experience long waiting times. We are acutely aware that even one person on a trolley is too many and reducing our trolley figures continues to be a particular focus at Wexford General Hospital. Every effort is being made to discharge patients who are ready to go home so that beds will be available for patients, who need to be admitted, at the earliest opportunity. Staff are doing everything possible to reduce waiting times and maintain accessibility.

We are asking people to consider their care options. If your health problem is not an emergency, you should contact your GP during normal surgery hours or the out of hours GP service, in the first instance.