
Nearly 8,200 patients treated on trolleys in hospitals in May
Nearly 8,200 patients, including 75 children, were admitted to hospital without a bed this May, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
The top 5 most overcrowded hospitals include:
Advertisement
University Hospital Limerick – 2,055 patients;
University Hospital Galway – 919 patients;
Cork University Hospital - 673 patients;
St Vincent's University Hospital - 496 patients;
Letterkenny University Hospital - 468 patients.
INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: 'The number of people on trolleys is still much too high. We are still seeing near daily instances of over 400 people being treated on trolleys, chairs or other inappropriate bed spaces every day.
'We want to engage proactively with the HSE to ensure that our members are able to cope with the seasonal and predictable challenges that they are likely to encounter over the coming months.
'We are yet again seeing unacceptable levels of overcrowding in the Midwest and West, where there is little to no capacity release valves to help ease overcrowding. The delivery of fully-staffed, additional capacity must be a priority for the HSE in these areas.
'Persistent overcrowding does not just have an impact on patient outcomes, it also impacts nurse and midwife safety and wellbeing. We know that when hospitals are overcrowded assaults are more regular and staff burnout and intention to leave rises.
"These are very real issues that need to be addressed by the Health Service Executive.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Trump news at a glance: veterans affairs department muzzled after critical article
Senior officials at the US Department of Veterans Affairs have ordered VA physicians and scientists not to publish in medical journals or speak with the public without first seeking clearance from political appointees of Donald Trump. Veterans advocates say the decision fits into a pattern of censorship by the Trump administration, and came hours after the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published a perspective co-authored by two pulmonologists who work for the VA in Texas. The article warned that cancelled contracts, layoffs and a planned staff reduction of 80,000 employees in the nation's largest integrated healthcare system jeopardizes the health of a million veterans who served in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Here are the key stories at a glance: The edict, laid down in emails on Friday by Curt Cashour, the VA's assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs, and John Bartrum, a senior adviser to VA secretary Doug Collins, came hours after the article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. 'We have guidance for this,' wrote Cashour, a former Republican congressional aide and campaign consultant, attaching the journal article. 'These people did not follow it.' Read the full story Russell Vought, the director of the office of management and budget (OMB), on Sunday cast doubt on the constitutional obligation of the White House to ask Congress to sign off on Donald Trump's massive cuts to the federal workforce spearheaded by Elon Musk. Vought indicated the White House preferred to rely on 'executive tools' for all but a 'necessary' fraction of the cuts instead of submitting the whole package of jobs and agency slashing that took place via the so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge), to the congressional branch for its official approval. Read the full story The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) removed a list of 'sanctuary' states, cities and counties from its website following sharp criticism from a sheriffs' association that said a list of 'noncompliant' sheriffs could severely damage the relationship between the Trump administration and law enforcement. Read the full story A teenage transgender athlete in California, who has been at the center of widespread political attacks by rightwing pundits and the Trump administration, won in two track events over the weekend. The 16-year-old athlete, AB Hernandez, tied for first place alongside two other athletes in the high jump, and tied for first place in the triple jump. This comes as the Trump administration threatened to withhold federal funding from California for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls' sports. Read the full story The White House budget director Russ Vought on Sunday dismissed as 'totally ridiculous' fears expressed by voters that cuts to benefits in the huge spending bill passed by the House will lead to premature deaths in America. Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, now awaiting debate in the US Senate, will slash two major federal safety net programs, Medicaid, which provides healthcare to poor and disabled Americans, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), which helps people afford groceries, which will affect millions of people if it becomes law. Read the full story The is FBI investigating a multiple-injury attack in downtown Boulder, Colorado. One person died and 11 other were injured after 80 shots fired at North Carolina house party. A British businessman was accused of plotting to smuggle US military technology to China. Catching up? Here's what happened on Saturday 31 May.


Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Footy great James Maloney's 14-year-old son gives his parents another massive scare after setting off police hunt when he went missing
The teenage son of rugby league great James Moloney gave his parents a heart-stopping scare over the weekend when he had to be hospitalised after being on the end of a heavy tackle during a local footy match. On Sunday, Kade Moloney's mother, Jess, took to social media to share the concerning news about her 14-year-old. 'Well today took a nasty unexpected turn,' she began. 'Kade got tackled head first into the ground and had some tingling in his legs and arms and was pretty dazed. 'Everyone at the grounds were so amazing and took all the precautions and the ambulance ladies were incredible. 'He's still under observation but so far everything is looking good just waiting for the ct results. He'll be very sore for the next few days no doubt. 'This mumma's nerves are hanging by a thread to say the least.' Jess posted several photos of Kade still in his footy gear being checked out at Nepean Hospital. In December last year, Kade caused his family significant alarm after going missing from their Green Point home in the early hours of the morning. CCTV footage later revealed that Kade had purchased a train ticket in Gosford on the NSW central coast at 1.51am. Police launched a search operation and fortunately the teenager was located safe and sound later that night. 'Thank you to everyone who has helped to find him, offered support, and shared this post to get it out to as many people as possible,' Jess wrote on social media, expressing the family's significant gratitude. James Maloney, an footy icon, chalked up 247 NRL appearances over 11 seasons at five clubs and also represented NSW and Australia in a decorated career. His achievements include premiership wins with the Roosters in 2013 and the Sharks in 2016.


The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
Spending on agency staff across NHS England drops by almost £1bn
Spending on agency staff across NHS England dropped by almost £1bn in the last financial year, ministers have said, after a pledge by Wes Streeting to cut the amount going to agencies by 30%. According to the Department of Health and Social Care, the total spent by trusts on agency staff during 2024-25 was nearly £1bn lower than the previous year. In a speech to the NHS Providers conference in November, Streeting, the health secretary, said a lack of permanent staff had seen gaps filled by more expensive agency-provided replacements totalling about £3bn a year. Under proposals outlined at the time, but not yet enacted, Streeting suggested that NHS trusts could be completely banned from using agency staff for lower level jobs such as healthcare assistants and domestic support workers. This could also involve stopping NHS staff from resigning and then immediately signing on with an agency, so they can do the same work for higher wages, and a much higher overall cost to the NHS. In addition to employing agency staff, which can mean paying a doctor thousand of pounds for a single shift, NHS trusts also routinely plug gaps by using what are known as 'bank' staff – NHS employees who do extra shifts at their own workplace or one nearby, via an organisation usually run by the trust. UK-wide figures reported by the Guardian in January 2024 showed that the combined spend of hospitals and GP surgeries for agency staff was an annual £4.6bn, with another £5.8bn used for bank shifts. As part of the clampdown on agency spending, Streeting and James Mackey, the chief executive of the imminently abolished NHS England, have jointly written to all NHS providers and integrated care board executives to set out that each should target the 30% reduction, and that their progress will be monitored. 'If we do not feel that sufficient progress is being made by the autumn, we will consider what further legislative steps we should take to ensure that use of agency staff is brought to an end,' they wrote. The letter also says hospital bosses should make surethe pay rates for bank shifts 'are competitive but do not exceed those paid by agencies directly to the worker'. Trusts have already been ordered to reduce bank use by at least 10%. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Elizabeth O'Mahony, NHS England's chief financial officer, said: 'The NHS is fully committed to making sure that every penny of taxpayers' money is used wisely to the benefit of patients and the quality of care they receive. 'Our reforms towards driving down agency spend by nearly £1bn over the past year will boost frontline services and help to cut down waiting lists, while ensuring fairness for our permanent staff.'