Overcrowding in the north west’s two main hospitals is among the worse in the country today.
Yesterday, 10 ambulances were queuing to get into Letterkenny University Hospital while staff are looking to nursing homes to take patients.
53 people are waiting for beds in Sligo University Hospital today, while 48 are waiting in Letterkenny University Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is seeking an urgent meeting with senior management in the Letterkenny hospital because of the ongoing overcrowding there.
It comes as the hospital has informed all staff that the hospital is nearing major incident-level capacity.
INMO Industrial Relations Officer Neal Donohue said the Emergency Department in Letterkenny is currently at full capacity with nurses struggling with overflows of patients who have been admitted.
All staff who can be available to work in the emergency department have been asked to attend.
INMO members are also reporting that there is no available space left for trolleys and that they are reaching out to nursing homes to take patients if possible.
Neal Donohue said the INMO has, for a long time, been sounding the alarm of the problems in Letterkenny with hospital management, the Saolta Group and the HSE.
He added that staff, patients and the people of Donegal deserved better.
Meanwhile, the HSE Chief Executive says they’re trying to hire new healthcare staff in a ‘very challenging recruitment market’.
The executive expects to recruit only half of the staff it has funding in place for this year.
Paul Reid says the organisation has funding for almost 20 thousand new staff in 2022, but finding specialist staff for regional hospitals can be especially difficult.
