The highest ever hospital overcrowding figures have been recorded this morning.
There are 760 patients waiting on trolleys across the country's main hospitals, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
Highest number on record: No beds for 760 admitted patients this morning, with a record *92* people waiting on trolleys in UH #Limerick. At 8am there were also 56 people on trolleys in #Cork UH and 47 people in UH #Galway.
For today’s full data, see https://t.co/QpFoi5Y62G pic.twitter.com/E6KQlmh0KP
— Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (@INMO_IRL) January 6, 2020
University Hospital Limerick is the worst affected hospital, with 92 people in need of a bed.
That means the facility has also broken the daily record for an individual hospital.
The worst-hit hospitals include:
- University Hospital Limerick - 92
- Cork University Hospital - 56
- University Hospital Galway – 47
- South Tipperary General Hospital – 40
The INMO is calling for a major incident protocol to be adopted, which would likely see all non-emergency admissions stopped, electives cancelled, and extra bed capacity sourced from the private and public sectors.
The union is also calling for an infection control plan, as overcrowding increases infection risks.
Meanwhile, visitors have been banned from University Hospital Limerick due to the high number of people it is treating for the flu.
