Trolley count numbers are ‘unequivocally dangerous’

By Gary Culliton.   Specialist Registrar trainees in emergency medicine, who are members of the Irish Emergency Medicine Trainees Association (IEMTA), have written to HIQA, criticising the high number of patients on trolleys. The trainees cited the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) January 6 report that 341 patients were waiting for an inpatient bed on ED trolleys.   “We believe that current ED conditions are unequivocally dangerous for patients and staff and there is substantial medical evidence that overcrowding leads to higher mortality and poorer patient outcomes,” the SpRs wrote. The HIQA Tallaght report recommendations are being ignored by…