34 people are waiting on a bed at St Luke’s General Hospital for Carlow and Kilkenny today.
According to the daily Trolleywatch from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) they’re among 476 in such a position nationwide.
22 patients are in the local Emergency Department with 12 on other wards.
It’s the fifth highest figure in the country with Cork University Hospital topping the table with 70 followed by University Hospital Galway (60), University Hospital Limerick (45) with 37 at Sligo University Hospital.
It’s as the Health Minister says he’s instructed the HSE to use all private hospital facilities available, as the country braces itself for a “twindemic”.
There are concerns public hospitals won’t be able to cope during the winter months with Covid-19 and flu.
Nurses are calling on the State to strike deals immediately with private hospitals to care for public patients.
Minister Stephen Donnelly says “I met with the HSE last night and reiterated the point, the government’s position, and the HSE is going to implement this; that all private capacity in the country needs to be used, that we can get, for public patients”.
