“The definition of success will be to get through the winter without having 1,000 trolleys on any particular day,” he said. The possibility of more than 1,000 people on trolleys is truly terrifying, and appears to have sparked a greater urgency about planning for the traditional surge in admissions over the winter period. The extra funding is coming very late in the day – as is the winter plan itself – with the result that much of the additional resources will only come available next year. The most prevalent flu strain hit older people particularly hard, and led to 45 deaths, twice as many as in the previous year. The health service will be hoping there is no repeat of these events.

Source: The Irish Times December 07, 2018 01:41 UTC