Crisis as hospital struggles with second surge

SERVICES at Limerick’s Regional Hospital were facing a second crisis in as many weeks with staff struggling to cope with 74 extra patients on trolleys, beds in corridors and overflow wards. And nurses representatives have warned that it is only a matter of time until disaster results from the ongoing overcrowding. On this Wednesday, there were 35 patients waiting on trolleys in the Emergency Department.

In addition, there were 25 patients being accommodated in an overflow ward and 14 others on beds and trolleys in corridors and other areas of the hospital, Irish Nurses and Midwives representative, Mary Fogarty confirmed.
The numbers mean that the hospital was coping with 74 more patients than the 350 it is supposed to accommodate.
“The situation in the A and E is not the whole picture,” Ms Fogarty said. “This is very dangerous on so many different fronts. There’s the question of delivery of care, there’s the issue of the risk of infection outbreak because of overcrowding – even in terms of an evacuation it is dangerous for staff and patients”.
Ms Fogarty said that the HSE will have to call in more staff.
“We don’ have enough beds for the region. That’s the bottom line. The minister has called into the hospital twice promising staff they would see big changes in the New Year. We haven’t seen them yet”.
The INMO had met with the HSE after a similar number of patients ended up on trolleys in the ED two weeks ago and are due to meet again next week.
There was no comment available from the HSE at time of going to press.