103-year-old woman left on hospital trolley for 15 hours

A 103 year old woman waited on a trolley for up to 15 hours in the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore on Thursday before getting a bed on Friday morning.

In a statement, the HSE confirmed the elderly woman – who is not believed to be a serious condition – presented at the hospital’s emergency department on Thursday evening.

“The patient was seen within 19 minutes of arrival and was under the care of the emergency department team.

“Due to high levels of attendances and admissions currently being experienced by the hospital, our full capacity protocol is in place. While we cannot comment on individual cases, we can confirm that the patient was referred to a specialist team and the decision to admit was within three hours.

“The patient received the first available inpatient bed.”

According to Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) figures, Tullamore hospital and NUI Galway were jointly the most overcrowded hospitals in the State on Friday morning, with 35 patients awaiting beds at each location.

Tullamore councillor Brendan Killeavy of Sinn Féin said that while he was alarmed by news of the 103 year-old waiting on a hospital trolley, he wasn’t surprised.

“There needs to be an urgent review of bed capacity in the hospital,” he said.

Renua Ireland leader and Offaly councillor John Leahy said “the system in Tullamore is at melting point for a long time now”.

He said “we need more primary care at the point of entry. We need more resources for GPs” to ease the pressure on hospitals.