Over 10,000 patients had to wait for a hospital bed in January

Over 10,000 admitted patients were forced to wait without hospital beds in January 2019, according to a new monthly analysis by the INMO.

This represents a 55% increase on the number of patients waiting for beds in January 10 years ago and a 30% increase on January five years ago.

Among the 10,350 patients were 190 children.

The figures are an underestimate, not including January 30th, as INMO members were on strike.

The worst-affected hospitals last month were:
University Hospital Limerick: 970 patients
Cork University Hospital: 947 patients
South Tipperary General Hospital: 629 patients
Letterkenny University Hospital: 587 patients
University Hospital Waterford: 547

INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said:

“Over 10,000 hospital patients didn’t even have a bed last month in Ireland's health service.

“At the heart of this problem is understaffing. We simply cannot recruit and retain enough nurses and midwives on these wages.

“Ireland’s nurses and midwives are no longer prepared to tolerate these conditions, for themselves or for their patients.”