2022 worst year on record for hospital overcrowding as flu and Covid put system under pressure

This year has been the worst year since records began for patients seeking access to a hospital bed, according to new figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

The latest update from the organisation’s Trolley Watch shows that 118,662 people who were admitted to hospital through emergency departments had to wait to access a bed this year, the highest number since the monitoring began in 2006.

The previous highest figure was 118,367 in 2019.

The annual totals dropped significantly in 2020 (53,325) and 2021 (70,275), as general infection levels fell as a result of the public health measures introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The figures show the most overcrowded hospital in the State this year was University Hospital Limerick, where 17,640 patients had been left waiting for a bed. This was followed by Cork University Hospital (12,133), Galway University Hospital (10,012), Sligo University Hospital (7,977) and St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin (7,406).

The pressure on the system reflects the current high number of flu and Covid-19 cases as well as a wave of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases that have hit children’s hospitals particularly hard.

There has been a significant increase in Covid cases in the past week with 120 cases hospitalised overnight, 19 of whom are in intensive care. The majority of patients hospitalised with Covid were over 65 or children. There has been a 65 per cent increase in hospitalisations among those aged five to 14.

The HSE’s chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry has called on the public to wear masks on public transport, in congregated settings, and when with vulnerable people. He told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland that Coivd cases were up 75 per cent, with hospitalisations up 90 per cent in December. Influenza cases were up 75 per cent in one week, he said, with hospitalisations up 35 per cent. RSV cases are at a five year high.

There is “end to end” pressure on the healthcare system, not just in emergency departments, Dr Henry said, and the HSE is to start using private hospitals as a backup resource. He appealed to people to get vaccinated and boosted for both Covid and flu and if they have a cough or cold to stay at home.

Meanwhile, the State’s chief medical officer Professor Breda Smyth has urged vulnerable people to wear masks when attending religious services over the Christmas period.

Prof Smyth told RTÉ radio’s News at One that anyone experiencing Covid-19 or flu symptoms should not attend services or congregated settings. The general population should consider taking preventative measures to help others, she added. Prof Smyth called on people using public transport to wear masks as an act of solidarity – this was a simple measure that could keep people safe, she said.

Prof Smyth pointed out that antiviral treatments were also available for those who were deemed at high risk. Anyone over the age of 75 who was fully vaccinated should be medically assessed if they were experiencing symptoms to see if they were eligible for viral treatment. “It’s important that we use all the tools in the toolbox.”

INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said there were 624 patients without a bed in the hospital system on Wednesday.

“It is clear there is a dearth of ambition to tackle this extremely serious problem. We commend that some hospital groups have curtailed non-urgent care and asked that people seek alternative care pathways if they can but it is clear the HSE and the Government are not taking this issue as seriously as they should be.”

She said INMO members were under serious pressure, particularly those working in triage and in emergency departments. Long delays, inadequate bed spaces, and unsafe staffing were making it impossible to provide safe care.