LIVE: Hundreds without bed as nurses sound alarm over Christmas surge in hospitals

The Nurses and Midwifery organisation call for the overcrowding crisis in hospitals around the country to be prioritised in government formation talks.

There are over 629 patients, including 24 children being treated on trolleys, chairs and in other inappropriate bed spaces in Irish hospitals today, according to the organisation.

“We are seeing yet another pre-Christmas surge in the number of people who are being admitted to hospitals without a bed. Dangerous levels of overcrowding are not just confined to a couple of sites, we are seeing high levels of patients on trolleys in most hospitals. This is an indicator of the difficult weeks that lay ahead for patients and nurses and midwives who want to provide safe care in our hospitals," INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said.

“Each year we face the same problems in our hospitals with no long-term solutions offered to ending the ongoing, year-round overcrowding crisis in our hospitals. As government formation talks continue ensuring that our hospitals are safe from a staffing and capacity perspective must be a priority for all engaged in negotiations," Ms Ní Sheaghdha added.

Safe nurse and midwife staffing must be a priority for all politicans in #Budget2025 and the upcoming general election. When you invest in safe nurse and midwife staffing, you are investing in patient safety. pic.twitter.com/xGdfwUbya3

— Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (@INMO_IRL) September 19, 2024

“The overcrowding crisis is being exacerbated by the serious issues in staffing across all hospitals and community services. Patient safety is directly linked to staffing levels, curbing recruitment and placing restrictions on the authority of Directors of Nursing and Midwifery to recruit is exacerbating the ability to provide safe and timely care," Ms Ní Sheaghdha said. 

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The INMO calls for "the curtailing of non-urgent elective care, ensuring that all senior clinical decision-makers are on site, and introducing heightened infection control measures will create a release valve to ease the pressure in the majority of sites."

“As our members are continuing to work in very trying circumstances, they want to be assured by all involved in government formation negotiations that improving their conditions at work will be a top priority,” Ms Ní Sheaghdha added.