Families of patients who have had to endure days on trolleys in hospital accident and emergency departments are to vent their anger by protesting outside the Dáil this afternoon.
The protest was planned yesterday when the numbers of patients on trolleys in hospitals across the State climbed to over 180.
While the situation was worst at hospitals in the Dublin region, it was not confined to them. Galway's University College Hospital had to cancel some elective surgery as a result of pressure on its A&E unit, where there were seven patients on trolleys.
At Wexford General Hospital there were 12 patients on trolleys. There were also patients on trolleys in Cork, Limerick, Cavan and Drogheda.
The family of a 72-year-old woman who has been on a trolley at Dublin's Mater Hospital since Saturday morning confirmed legal advice had been sought on the situation.
Ms Janette Byrne said the family wanted to ascertain if the rights of their mother, Mrs Kathleen Byrne, as a human being had been violated. "We are thinking of taking a legal challenge. We left it with the solicitors today," she said.
The family, which had organised a protest outside the Mater Hospital on Sunday evening to highlight their plight, also travelled to the Department of Health yesterday and handed in a letter to the Minister for Health, Ms Harney, begging her to do something to find a hospital bed for their mother.
Ms Byrne said her mother appeared to have suffered a series of strokes but could not avail of scans to see if this was the case until a bed was found for her.
The hospital said it regretted the situation but it simply didn't have enough beds. It said 77 beds in the hospital could be freed up if step-down facilities could be found for patients occupying them who are fit for discharge but have nowhere to go.
The Mater has stressed it needs another 100 beds and yesterday it emerged that it has now been told by the Department of Health that it can begin planning for the additional beds which will be provided as part of a planned major development at the Mater complex.
However, the new development will not be completed for another four years.
The Labour Relations Commission Accident and Emergency Forum met yesterday to consider the causes of the A&E overcrowding.
The deputy general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation, Mr David Hughes, said he heard of no major new initiatives at the meeting to tackle the problem.
"And one could not have confidence either that all that can be done is being done or that adequate funding will be made available to address the additional beds which are required in the system," he said.
Dr Aidan Gleeson, an A&E consultant at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital, said it was outrageous that the problems in A&E were being allowed to continue.
He said the basic problem was a lack of beds in hospitals and while the Government promised more, they weren't coming on stream quickly enough.
Furthermore he said the morale of staff working in casualty departments was low and Ms Harney needed to address the A&E situation urgently.
Ms Harney has said it will be one of her priorities while at the Department of Health.
After visiting the Mater's A&E unit yesterday, Labour's health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, called on the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, to take charge of the situation. "The new Minister for Health, Mary Harney, has plenty of sympathy but no ideas." The Taoiseach should take charge, she said.
Meanwhile, the A&E unit at James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown will operate on a restricted service basis between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. tomorrow while the department transfers to a new unit.
A&E units: number of patients on trolleys
University College Hospital Galway: some elective surgery was cancelled because of the number of emergency cases which presented. 7 patients on trolleys
Cork University Hospital 16 on trolleys
Kerry General Hospital, Tralee 2 on trolleys
Mid Western Regional Hospital, Limerick 2 on trolleys
Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda 6 on trolleys
Cavan General Hospital 6 on trolleys
(down from 13 earlier in the day according to the INO)
Roscommon County Hospital 3 on trolleys
Ennis General Hospital 2 on trolleys
Wexford General 12 on trolleys in day ward
St Columcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown, Dublin 2 on trolleys
St Vincent's Hospital 17 on trolleys
Tallaght Hospital 32 on trolleys
Beaumont Hospital 27 on trolleys
James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown 9 on trolleys
Mater Hospital 22 on trolleys
Naas General Hospital 15 on trolleys
St James's Hospital 8 on trolleys
There were no patients on trolleys at hospitals in Sligo, Letterkenny, Tullamore or Portlaoise, local health boards said.
A&E figures for greater Dublin region were supplied by the INO