Hospital overcrowding: 599 patients on trolleys as nurses warn about patient safety
More than 100 people had been waiting more than 24 hours for a bed in an Irish hospital on Wednesday, with nurses warning about patient safety risks as trolley numbers soar. According to official HSE data, there were 599 patients on trolleys in hospitals on Wednesday. There was an additional 615 people in surge capacity, which is the number of beds taken from elsewhere in a hospital to meet emergency department demand. Of those waiting for a bed, 102 were waiting more than 24 hours. Five patients waiting more than this time were aged 75 or older. Cork University Hospital has the highest number of people waiting for a bed, at 73, the HSE said. The hospital has received significant political attention in recent months after its chief executive, Jennifer Kearney, wrote to the HSE outlining patient-safety concerns due to staff shortages. Cork University Hospital short more than 1,000 staff,…