Worst June on record in Irish hospitals
ALMOST 8,000 people were left on trolleys in Irish hospitals last month, making it the worst June on record since counting began.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) counted 7,775 people on trolleys after admission to hospitals around the country.
It is the worst figure for June in 12 years of counting, according to the group.
"The level of deterioration, and the resulting compromising of patient care and excessive workloads on nursing staff contained in these figures, is truly shocking," Liam Doran, general secretary of the INMO, said.
Overcrowding has jumped by 50pc when compared to the same month last year, according to the organisation.
St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin showed the biggest increase in the number of patients who did not have a bed.
In June, 484 patients were kept on trolleys - a 332pc increase when compared to last year.
Meanwhile, Beaumont Hospital saw a 150pc jump in those waiting for beds, as the INMO counted 757 people during their daily trolley watches.
As overcrowding continues to get worse, the INMO said it is clear that the Government's emergency action taken in April have not worked.
The INMO is again calling for emergency funding that would see an increase in hospital beds and extra staff to ensure safe care of those in Irish hospitals.
Among those who were forced to wait on trolleys last month were two women who are both 101 years old.
One of the women was left waiting 26 hours on a trolley in the Emergency Department in Tallaght.
Less than two weeks later it emerged that a second elderly woman was forced to wait 25 hours for a bed in University Hospital Limerick.