22 People On Trolleys In Naas General Hospital Today

Tuesday, 22 March 2022 11:40

By Caoimhe Harney

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said that the 'trolley chaos' is a national emergency.

Some 22 patients were on Trolleys in Naas General Hospital this morning, according to the INMO trolley watch figures.

Across the country 660 patients were without a bed in Irish hospitals today.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said its highest numbers of patients on trolleys since the beginning of the pandemic.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha commented: “We have seen a 15% increase of patients on trolleys in the last 24 hours with 660 patients for whom there are no beds.

“The Minister for Health needs to intervene and declare this trolley chaos for what it is - a national emergency.

“A range of measures must be taken now in the short to medium term including the curtailment of all non-emergency, elective care and the reintroduction of mask wearing in crowded and indoor settings.

“As of this morning, 7,753 patients have been without a bed in our hospitals since the mask requirement was dropped on February 28th.

"ESRI research published today shows that two-thirds of people are still wearing masks on public transport and when shopping.

"If we could increase this number through a re-introduction of mask wearing, it would help ease transmission numbers," she insisted.

“Our nurses and midwives are burnt out and exhausted.

"We can’t expect them to be able to provide safe care in environments that are overcrowded while dealing with a highly transmissible airborne virus,” she added.