Jennifer Carroll MacNeill also suggested that patients offered transfers by large hospitals to smaller hospitals should be more willing to move for stepdown care. Fixing overcrowding is a key priority this year, she said, singling out Cork, Kerry, Galway, and its surrounds for particular criticism. This week has seen pressures surge due to the flu and freezing weather following a quieter than expected Christmas, a situation that Ms Carroll MacNeill acknowledged. "I think it's fair to say, if you were to look at the admittance to discharge figures in Cork, CUH, and Galway, I think it's not good enough yet,” she said. While they do have challenges around trolleys today [Thursday], it’s not for the same reasons as Cork and Galway.”In general, she said all 29 hospitals in the HSE are “really, really, really together” on reforms.

Source: Irish Examiner January 09, 2026 08:12 UTC