With record numbers on trolleys again today, nurses in Galway are protesting over what they claim is the HSE’s failure year on year to tackle another patient winter crisis.
In Sligo alone there are 27 patients on trolleys with another 16 waiting at Letterkenny University Hospital.
Nurses and midwives based in University Hospital Galway are set to protest this lunchtime, demanding the HSE make plans for the expected winter increase in patients.
INMO figures show that August was the worst on record for overcrowding, with hundreds of vacant nursing posts in emergency departments and wards across Ireland.
The INMO revealed last week that the HSE still does not have a plan to recruit extra staff or reduce services to cope with the demand.
Nurses based in Galway are set to protest over the issue from 1 o’clock this afternoon, with further protests scheduled for Cork and Limerick tomorrow.
The INMO says it’s likely similar protests could be held at the hospital in Sligo or Letterkenny in the coming weeks where overcrowding and staff shortages are an ongoing challenge.
