Major drop in trolley numbers at LUH

There has been a significant drop in the number of patients awaiting admission at Letterkenny University Hospital this morning.

This afternoon 2 people wait on trolleys, and 2 people wait on ward overflow areas.

On Wednesday LUH was the fourth most overcrowded hospital nationally, as 29 patients awaited admission; 16 of whom were on trolleys, with 13 waiting in ward overflow areas.

Across Ireland on Wednesday, 409 patients are waiting for a bed, 307 of whom were on trolleys.

This figure has decreased nationally also this afternoon, as 307 await admission, with 224 of these patients on trolleys.

Despite the welcome news that the numbers have dropped this morning, figures announced by the INMO yesterday reveal that the number of patients waiting on trolleys for admission to LUH has risen by a massive 400% since this time last year.

Between January and July this year, 2,813 patients waited on trolleys and overflow wards in LUH – a huge increase from the 707 patients in the same period during 2016.

Shockingly, this is the highest Trolley Waiting List figure at LUH since INMO records began in 2006.