Latest: Emergency Department Taskforce will meet Monday to discuss overcrowding
The Emergency Department Taskforce will meet on Monday to discuss hospital overcrowding.
It is one of the measures announced after a meeting between the HSE and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
Figures on trolleys fell from a high of 677 on Wednesday, to 483 this morning, but according to HSE figures which do not include patients on wards, the numbers are still 14% higher than the same day last year.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha says the meeting with the HSE was productive.
She said: "We had sought that the group CEO's be advised that they have to meet the INMO at local level in order to ensure that every possible avenue was being persued to maximise efficiencies."
INMO representatives meeting with HSE to discuss overcrowding
Nurse representatives are meeting with the HSE to discuss hospital overcrowding.
According to INMO figures, 483 patients are on trolleys today, down from a high of 677 on Wednesday.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says hospitals that manage patient flow well have fewer patients on trolleys.
Professor Anthony Staines from DCU says getting patients in and out of hospital smoothly is key.
He said: "There are very few people in the ED's (Emergency Departents) who don't need to be there and there isn't anyone lying in a trolley who doesn't need to be there."
The Irish Medical Organisation says Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Pascal Donohoe must commit the necessary funding to end the trolley crisis.
The IMO says our hospitals are 'a system in meltdown' due to overcrowding.
Health Minister Simon Harris said yesterday he is committed to opening more beds and reforming the system.
IMO President Dr Ann Hogan says things will not change without real investment.
She said: "Things are only getting worse."
