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22 Oct 2025
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22 Oct 2025
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There are 28 patients on trolleys and wards at St Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny today, according to figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
That's a rise of six from the figures for yesterday, making the Kilkenny hospital the second-most overcrowded in the country today.
A statement from the INMO at the end of last month estimated that Ireland’s emergency departments are at least 216 nurses short of what is needed to care for all admitted patients. There are 159 unfilled vacancies, while the HSE estimate that an additional 57 nurses are required within emergency departments to care for admitted patients for whom there are no available beds.
The INMO said that low pay and bad working conditions make it 'near-impossible' to recruit and retain sufficient nurses in emergency departments.
“Overcrowding is now a constant feature of our hospital system, even in summer," said INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha.
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