Cavan Hospital tops trolley wait list

Cavan General Hospital had the highest number of trolley wait patients in its emergency department this morning than any other hospital in the country.

According to latest figures from the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), there 45 patients on trolleys in Cavan's ED this morning.

This compares to fewer trolley numbers in much larger hospitals - this morning, Beaumont had 35 patients on trolleys, Cork University Hospital had 37, and Tallaght had 15.

Cavan Hospital had no patients on trolleys on the same day last year.

Recently, Cavan has had to take on the acute medical services transferred from Monaghan Hospital, which now provides only non-acute services.

The HSE plans to transfer remaining acute services from Dundalk and Navan to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda in the coming months.

The total INO trolley watch figure this morning for all hospitals in the country is 315, indicating that trolley figures are beginning to rise as the winter approaches.

[Posted: Tue 22/09/2009]