Number of trolley patients back on the rise at Kilkenny hospital

Twenty-two patients were being treated without a bed on Thursday morning at St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny, the highest figure since February 25 as pressure on capacity mounts once again.

After a difficult February where trolley patients reached as high as 34 on February 4, strain had briefly eased with several days in March recording no cases of treatment outside of beds with only three as recently as Monday.

This respite was short-lived however as overcrowding returned with 13 trolley patients observed on Wednesday before the figure rose back above 20 on Thursday.

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Visiting restrictions remain in place at St Luke’s in order to combat the spread of a Norovirus outbreak at the facility and have been in effect for almost a month.

Nationwide, there were 483 patients waiting for a bed, highlighting the widespread aspect of overcrowding in the system.

The worst affected hospitals were University Hospital Limerick and Cork University Hospital with 56 and 52 people treated on trolleys respectively.

The national daily figures are provided by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

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