Trolley watch: 497 patients waiting for beds in Irish hospitals

Michael Bolton

New figures from the Irish Midwives and Nurses Organisation (INMO) show there is 497 patients waiting for beds in Irish hospitals.

362 patients are waiting in the emergency department, while 135 are in wards elsewhere in hospitals.

The INMO trolley watch shows the hospital with the highest amount of patients waiting for beds is University Hospital Limerick, with 98 patients waiting for beds.

46 of those patients are in the emergency department.

Cork University Hospital has 37 patients waiting for beds, with 36 patients on trolleys in University Hospital Galway

The INMO Trolley Watch counts the number of patients who have been admitted to acute hospitals, but who are waiting for a free bed.

These patients are often being treated on trolleys in corridors, "but they may also be on chairs, in waiting rooms, or simply wherever there’s space". The INMO started Trolley Watch in 2004.