Twenty six patients are on trolleys at St Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny

Twenty six patients are on trolleys at St Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny according to the latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

Nationally 524 admitted patients are waiting for beds this morning, according to today’s INMO Trolley Watch. 407 patients are waiting in the emergency department, while 117 are in wards elsewhere in the hospital.

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Every morning at 8am, INMO members count how many patients are waiting in the Emergency Department for a bed and how many are waiting in wards elsewhere in the hospital. The INMO Trolley Watch counts the number of patients who have been admitted to acute hospitals, but who are waiting for a free bed.

These patients are often being treated on trolleys in corridors, but they may also be on chairs, in waiting rooms, or simply wherever there’s space.