Storm Emma leads to staggering trolley numbers in Laois, Dublin, Kildare & Offaly hospitals

Hospital trolley numbers have spiked at hospitals in Laois, Dublin, Offaly and Kildare in the wake of Storm Emma and the Beast from the East.

Daily figures for Monday, March 5 from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation show that there are 131 patients waiting at Dublin Midland Hospital Group hospitals on trollies or in wards for hospital beds.

There are just 11 patients waiting at Portlaoise hospital but 45 are waiting at its sister hospital in Tullamore. Up the road at Naas General 22 patients were waiting.

A total of 53 patients were waiting at the two acute Dublin hospitals in the DMHG. Tallaght has 38 patients waiting for a bed while St James' has 15.

The DMHG has warned of disruption to services this week as the country and health services recovers form the storm which led to an almost shut down in many services last week.

Nationally, there are 664 patients waiting for beds around the country. Cork University Hospital has the worst problems with 63 people waiting.

The INMO is calling for the first two weeks of March to be declared, and treated, as an emergency period in the Irish public health service. The Organisation is extremely concerned about the pressures that will be brought to bear on the service following on from the past five days of emergency weather conditions.

Speaking today, INMO General Secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha said:

“The next two weeks must be afforded emergency status.  This means extraordinary measures should be put in place to focus on recovering from this adverse weather event, ensuring prioritisation of emergency care and this will require all non-urgent and routine cases to be cancelled during this period," she said.

The HSE has cancelled all routine elective cases today, March 5.