Calls have been made for steps to be taken now to prevent against a return to chronic overcrowding in hospitals in the coming months.
On one day last week, trolley numbers at University Hospital Limerick rose to 42 and the region’s main hospital has seen double figures on a regular basis throughout the pandemic, despite much lower numbers at the country’s other facilities.
The latest INMO figures show today there were 35 patients waiting on trolleys at the Dooradoyle facility, 26 of those in the Emergency Department.
The Irish Association for Emergency Medicine, together with the INMO have made a plea for beds that have been opened at hospitals to be kept open, building works to be expedited and for extra bed capacity to be prioritised by the new Government.
President of the IAEM, Dr Emily O’Connor has told this programme that keeping numbers attending EDs down should be at the forefront of everyone’s minds in the run-up to the Autumn.
