The trolley crisis in hospitals is because the health service is still “behind on our bed count”, the Irish Medical Organisation has said. 

On Tuesday morning, 485 admitted patients were waiting for beds, according to the IMNO’s Trolley Watch report. 

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Irish Medical Organisation GP Committee Chair Dr Tadhg Crowley said January is “traditionally a busy time of the year” for emergency departments due to the large number of respiratory illnesses. 

“We’re coming off RSV peaking over the Christmas time and now we’re going into a [period with] flu and COVID coming at the same time,” he said. 

“You’d expect that at this time of the year.” 

A patient on a trolley in a hospital A&E. Picture by: Josie Elias / Stockimo / Alamy Stock Photo

In its 2023 Capital Plan, the HSE announced an additional 261 inpatient beds but Dr Crowley said the health service still lacks the capacity to treat patients properly. 

“We’ve a hospital-based system that’s there at the moment,” he said. 

“The general plan from all our politicians is to move to a Sláintecare model which is to keep people in the community for as long as possible before requiring transfer to hospital. 

“However, the number of beds we have within the hospital system as an OECD [country] is well down compared to our European counterparts.” 

Funding

Amid concern about overspending, the Department of Health announced a hiring freeze for many jobs within the HSE. 

HSE CEO Bernard Gloster wrote to staff that the health service “faces a period where its funded level which, while quite high, is not adequate for all current costs”.

For Dr Crowley, it means the trolley crisis is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon. 

“The HSE has a freeze in recruitment of staff [because of] budgetary concerns,” he said. 

“This is a folly really and actually adds to the problem in the long-term. So, I think we need to look at that.” 

Dr Crowley said demographics changes are likely to only increase demand for healthcare in the years ahead. 

“You’re dealing with an older population, you’re dealing with an obesity epidemic worldwide - particularly in Ireland,” he said. 

“We’re going to be dealing with more and more conditions that require hospitalisation.”

The ERSI has predicted Ireland will be short of some 3,000 beds by the year 2030.

Main image: A hospital worker wheels a patient on a trolley. Image by: Alamy.com