Trolley spike hits already under pressure Portlaoise hospital

A dozen trollies have had to be deployed in Portlaoise hospital's Emergency Department (ED / A&E) to accommodate patients who need hospital care according to nurse while the HSE say four people remain critically ill with Covid-19 at the Laois hospital.

The INMO trolley watch report for Tuesday, December 21 shows that 12 people people were in the ED waiting for a bed at the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise.

There were 16 people waiting at its sister hospital in Tullamore. A further 20 people were on trollies in Naas General which is also part of the HSE's Dublin Midland Hospital Group.

The latest Covid-19 hospital figures from the HSE show all three hospitals are under pressure to find beds even though Covid-19 admissions have fallen.

There were seven Covid-19 patients at Portlaoise hospital by 8pm on Monday, December 20. One patient had been admitted in the previous 24 hours. ICU staff at the Laois hospital were caring for four critically ill Covid-19 patients.

There was one general bed but no spare ICU capacity at the Laois hospital.

Tullamore hospital has 13 Covid-19 patients of whom two were critically ill. The Offaly hospital had no general beds or ICU beds available on Monday.

Naas General has six Covid-19 positive patients with two in ICU. There were no general beds free in the Kildare hospital which had one available ICU bed.