Almost 10,000 people over the age of 75 have been waiting on trolleys in Emergency Departments for more than 24 hours in the first eight months of this year, new figures show. University Hospital Limerick had the highest number of people over 75 lying on trolleys with 167, followed by Galway University Hospital (154) and University Hospital Waterford (85). "Data for the first eight months of this year demonstrate a serious deterioration in how the HSE treats older patients when they present to Emergency Departments.," he said. “Best practice, based on a 2012 HIQA report, is that total patient time spent in an emergency department should be six hours or less. [/quote]“In September, I put forward common sense proposals to increase bed capacity over the winter and ease the overcrowding in our Emergency Departments.

Source: Evening echo October 19, 2018 06:00 UTC