‘Seriously ill patients’ on trolleys in Drogheda – INMO

“Seriously ill patients” are on trolleys at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said.

The INMO said it was “deeply concerned” and has called on management at the hospital to take urgent action on hospital overcrowding.

According to its TrolleyWatch figures, over 160 patients have been on trolleys since the 4 June.

“Our members in OLOL are deeply concerned about the number of seriously ill patients who are ending up on trolleys throughout the hospital without an adequate number of nursing staff rostered to care safely for them,” said Maurice Sheehan, INMO Industrial Relations Officer at the hospital.

Mr Sheehan said that issues at the hospital were being “compounded” by a HSE recruitment freeze.

“The INMO is now calling on the hospital to take extraordinary measures in order to reduce the number of patients on trolleys,” he said.

The hospital has said that emergency department attendances and admissions remain particularly high this week.

A spokesperson for Our Lady of Lourdes Drogheda said that all patients requiring ward accommodation are prioritised for beds based on clinical need and necessary escalation protocols have been initiated to reduce current delays.