The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has called for special measures to be taken at University Hospital Limerick, including the cancellation of all non-urgent elective care, amid severe weather warnings in the midwest region.
Limerick will be under a status-orange snow and ice warning on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
More than 352 patients have been on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick so far this week.
Colm Porter, INMO assistant director of industrial relations, said: “We know that when weather warnings are issued, the number of patients on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick increases.
“There is already an unacceptable and dangerous number of patients on trolleys in UHL, 116 today alone. The hospital is at an occupancy of 111 per cent, over 30 per cent above the recommended safe occupancy of 82-85 per cent.
“63 patients are on trolleys outside the emergency department in UHL, which is a blockage to moving patients…
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