At least 130 on trolleys in three local hospitals last week
At least 130 patients were left waiting on trolleys in the emergency departments of the three local hospitals in Ballinasloe, Tullamore and Mullingar over the past week. According to the INMO (Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation) trolley watch figures there were 136 people left lying on trolleys in the emergency departments of the hospitals from Tuesday of last week until yesterday (Tuesday). The HSE figures differed slightly from the union's but still showed that there were 130 people left on trolleys at the three hospitals over the past week. The INMO figures showed there were 31 people left on trolleys in Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe over the past week, while the HSE has recorded 30 patients left on trolleys over the same period. In Tullamore the INMO recorded 50 patients on trolleys over the week-long period, while the HSE figures show 46 were left on trolleys and in Mullingar the INMO recorded 55 people on trolleys compared to the HSE figure of 54. Portiuncula's emergency department was at its busiest last week with INMO figures showing ten people were left on trolleys at the hospital last Tuesday, nine left on trolleys last Wednesday and twelve left on trolleys on Thursday. The HSE figures differed for Tuesday, when it recorded nine, rather than ten, on trolleys. However, both the HSE and the INMO said that no patients were left on trolleys last Friday or yesterday. In Tullamore the peak was also last week, with 13 patients on trolleys on Tuesday, 13 again on Wednesday, ten on Thursday and 13 on Friday, with just one patient left waiting on a trolley yesterday, according to the INMO. The HSE figures for Tullamore are slightly different, showing 13 people were left waiting on trolleys on Tuesday last, twelve on Wednesday, nine on Thursday, twelve on Friday and none yesterday. In Mullingar INMO and HSE figures showed there were 16 people left waiting on trolleys in the emergency department on Tuesday. INMO figures showed there were ten on trolleys on Tuesday, 15 on Wednesday, eight on Thursday and six on Friday.