A new record for overcrowding in an Irish hospital has been set, with 82 patients waiting for admission to University Hospital Limerick on Wednesday morning. This surpasses the previous record of 81 patients, set on four previous occasions at UHL over the past year. The figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation show 47 patients without beds in the hospital’s emergency department, with 35 in wards elsewhere in the hospital. Labour health spokesman Alan Kelly told the Oireachtas health committee the situation at UHL was the worst he had ever seen. Committee chairman Dr Michael Harty criticised the response of the HSE and the Department to the problems at the hospital as “lacking urgency”.

Source: The Irish Times October 02, 2019 14:26 UTC