704 patients waiting for hospital beds following “out of control” weekend

Fifteen are under 16-years-old.

According to The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, there are 704 patients waiting to be admitted into hospital today. Today's high overcrowding figures come after the May Bank Holiday weekend. The number has increased compared to the Easter Bank Holiday three weeks ago, when there were 593 patients waiting on trolleys. The INMO says the worst affected hospital in the country is University Hospital Limerick, which has 105 patients waiting for beds. It is followed by Cork University Hospital where there are 68 patients waiting while Tallaght University Hospital has 51 patients waiting. There are 44 patients waiting for hospital beds in Sligo University Hospital. Fifteen of those waiting on beds across Ireland are under 16. INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, said the high number of patients waiting in Irish hospitals today was predictable. She noted that following each of the five Bank Holiday's this year, hospitals have seen an "out of control" number of patients waiting on trolleys in the days afterwards. Ní Sheaghdha said the service should not have to cope with these kind of high numbers and that overcrowding shouldn't be allowed to continue further into the year. She said: "Senior decision makers in both the HSE and Government must come together now to develop a year-round plan to tackle this crisis". This comes just days after The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation called for the Health and Safety Authority to have better resources when it comes to the safety of nurses, midwives and all other healthcare workers. Making the call on Workers’ Memorial Day, a ceremony will be held at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin to commemorate those who have lost their lives or been injured in work-related incidents.

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