The INMO is imploring the HSE to ”look after its staff” as record overcrowding in Irish hospitals is expected in the new year.
The organisation says the Health Service executive has left it too late as the situation was predicted back in July of this year.
According to the INMO, members care in hospitals is now unsafe due to pressure on the healthcare system.
Its General Secretary, Phil Ni Sheadhaga says nurses and midwives are under serious pressure “The overcrowding figures were very high, and they’re straight into another crisis. It’s very difficult to provide safe care becuase the level of activity is so high. They’re also very angry. They don’t believe that sufficient preparatory work was undertaken by the HSE. They think that the HSE left it too late, because this was predictable.”
The appeal comes as newly released figures from the INMO reveal that 2022 saw the highest number of patients on trollies, waiting for beds at St Luke’s Hospital for Carlow-Kilkenny.
According to the figures, a total of 6,087 patients had to wait for a bed at the local hospital in 2022, almost twice the 2021 figure.
This reflects an overall national increase in the number of patients on trollies, with over 121,000 patients in total having to wait for a bed this year, an increase of over 50,000 on last year.
Currently, there are 25 patients being treated for Covid-19 at St Luke’s Hospital, while latest figures also indicate that there are 30 patients waiting for a bed at the local facility.
