Seventeen on trolleys at local hospitals
Seventeen patients were left waiting for beds on trolleys in hospitals yesterday (Tuesday) at the three hospitals serving the Athlone area. Eight patients were waiting on trolleys at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, six at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar and three at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore, the Irish Nurses Organisation revealed yesterday. The 17 patients left waiting on hospital trolleys in the local hospitals were among some 425 patients nationwide on trolleys and accident and emergency departments. A spokeswoman for the INO West, Noreen Muldoon, said there had been eight patients waiting for beds on trolleys on a ward in Portiuncula on Monday night/Tuesday morning and while some patients were due to be discharged throughout the day yesterday, a number of other patients were waiting to be admitted from Accident and Emergency. She said the patients were nursed on the trolleys but this situation made it difficult for both patients and nurses tending to them. 'It"s a lot more difficult. It puts a lot of pressure on the nursing staff, but they give it their all. It"s more difficult for the patient, which makes it more difficult for the nurses,' she said. A HSE West spokeswoman said yesterday that there was no particular reason for the activity in the Accident and Emergency department other than that fact that it was an extremely busy period. Commenting on the situation, Sinn Féin"s Cllr Paul Hogan said: 'This is an atrocious situation visited on patients and staff at this hospital as a result of the gross mismanagement of hospital services in this region by the HSE and the Government. I am aware of the renovation works currently taking place at Portiuncula Hospital but at no time, is it acceptable to have eight patients waiting on trolleys and chairs for treatment. This is the grim reality experienced by patients and staff, already under severe pressure, due to totally inadequate bed numbers.' 'The Government has only made promises and paid lip service to providing an additional 3,000 public beds, which was part of many election manifestos since 2001. This policy clearly needs to be rolled out across the State as a matter of urgency,' Cllr Hogan added.