Number of patients on trolleys in UHL edges closer to highest-ever record

THE NUMBER of people on trolleys at the University Hospital Limerick (UHL) is edging closer to the highest-ever record. 

134 people are waiting on trolleys in the hospital this Tuesday, November 19, with 73 of those in the emergency department (ED) and 61 in wards elsewhere, according to the latest INMO Trolley Watch.

The highest amount ever recorded in UHL was 150 people, which occurred in February this year.

UHL remains the hospital with the most patients on trolleys in the country, as overcrowding continues to be an issue which Taoiseach Simon Harris said needs “radical” changing.

Taoiseach Simon Harris also told Limerick Live this week that an interim HIQA report, which could pave the way for a second emergency department in the region, looks set to be published in the new year.

READ MORE: Report on second emergency department for Limerick region 'due in January'

“As you know, we have asked HIQA to look at the issue of a second ED for the Mid-West. That’s due to report in May of next year. It’s due to provide an interim report in the meantime, probably in January of next year,” Taoiseach Harris previously said.

Additionally, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD visited Limerick on Monday, November 18, to open the new St Camillus Community Nursing Unit, a 75-bed project with an estimated cost of €31m.

510 admitted patients are waiting for beds across the country this Tuesday, including 12 children.