More than double the number of patients on trolleys in UHL compared to next busiest hospitals

Muireann Duffy

University Hospital Limerick (UHL) was the most overcrowded hospital in the country on Monday morning, with more than double the number of patients waiting on trolleys there compared to the next busiest hospital.

The latest trolley watch figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) show 105 people were waiting on a trolley in UHL on Monday morning, 56 of whom were in the Emergency Department (ED) and 49 were in wards elsewhere in the hospital.

Cork University Hospital was the next busiest, with 49 patients on trolleys, the vast majority of whom (44) were in the ED.

St Luke's General Hospital, Kilkenny and University Hospital Galway were not far behind, with 47 and 46 patients on trolleys respectively.

In the Eastern region – which includes six Dublin hospitals, Naas General Hospital and the three children's hospitals – Tallaght University Hospital and St Vincent's University Hospital had the highest number of people waiting for a bed, with 21 each.

Overall, there were 462 patients waiting on trolleys nationwide on Monday morning.