Press release
Minister for Health thanks healthcare workers for delivering 20% reduction in trolley numbers in last 6 months of 2023
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The number of patients on trolleys in hospitals has fallen by 7.5% in 2023, compared to 2022.
The HSE’s improved performance is even more pronounced in the second six months of 2023, with the number of patients on trolleys down by 20% since July 2023, compared to the same six months in 2022.
At the Minister’s request the HSE moved in 2023 from yearly Winter Plans to a year-round approach and the HSE’s Urgent and Emergency Care Operational Plan 2023 was published in July.
Over the Christmas weekend (23-26 December) there were 80% fewer patients waiting on trolleys, compared to the same period in 2022.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly thanked all those working in hospital and community settings. He said that the progress was the result of a system-wide response right across the HSE, general practice, home care, pharmacies and the nursing home sector.
Minister Donnelly said:
"While we still have too many patients on trolleys awaiting an in-patient bed, it is important to acknowledge that significant progress has been made this year, particularly since we moved to a year- round approach to Urgent and Emergency Care in the latter half of the year. This is due to planned reforms as well as investment in increased bed capacity and staffing numbers over the last three years. Reforms are enabling the wider adoption of better processes that have been proven to work in many of our hospitals that consistently perform well. The Urgent and Emergency Care Operational Plan focuses on four key areas: hospital avoidance, Emergency Department (ED) operations, in hospital operations and hospital discharge. I’d like to thank all healthcare staff for their huge effort.”
Minister Donnelly added:
"It is regrettable that any patient has to wait beyond an acceptable timeframe for a hospital bed. The evidence clearly shows the negative impact long waits in the Emergency Department can have. We need to see further progress in 2024.”
The Minister warned that Influenza and COVID cases were continuing to rise. He said an increase in presentations from COVID-19 and flu, as well as a high level of RSV presentations this year, would all contribute to an increased demand and pressure on hospitals and the wider health service, in the coming weeks.
Minister Donnelly said:
"Frontline staff and management have worked together relentlessly over the Christmas period to ensure our hospitals worked as efficiently as possible, delivering an 80% reduction in patients on trolleys during this period. It is imperative that the laser-sharp focus the HSE has had over Christmas period continues into January, when our Emergency Departments are under the greatest pressure.”
The Minister urged the public to consider all care options, including their GPs, pharmacists, local Injury Unit and out of hours services before presenting at EDs. As always, people who do require emergency care are encouraged to attend EDs where they will be prioritised. We urge those in target groups, who have not already done so, to avail of the vaccines available against flu and COVID-19.
The Minister also welcomed the improved transparency and detailed daily reporting on Emergency Department and Hospital capacity from the HSE.
The HSE is providing a publicly available daily report showing the number of patients waiting on trolleys in the Emergency Departments and the number of extra patients on trolleys in the wards.
The HSE’s daily report also shows the use of surge capacity. Surge capacity in use is the number of beds taken from elsewhere in the hospital to meet ED demand.
It also shows the numbers of Delayed Transfer of Care (DTOC) patients. A delayed transfer of care is when a patient is ready to leave hospital but is still occupying a bed. It happens when a patient is waiting to go home or into care elsewhere, but the care or home supports are not yet in place for them.
The HSE’s daily report is available here: Urgent and emergency care report (daily) - HSE.ie.
The government has provided significant resources to the HSE over the past three years to mitigate the additional pressure on emergency departments.
An additional 1,126 acute hospital beds have opened since 2020.
The HSE has increased overall staffing numbers by 25,239 since the beginning of 2020. This includes 7,510 nurses and midwives; 3,881 health and social care professionals; and 2,859 doctors and dentists.