Hospitals face another chaotic winter – IMO

The number of people on trolleys is expected to hit a thousand as winter sets in.
That’s the warning from the Irish Medical Organisation which says hospitals are already over-stretched.
The President of the Irish Medical Organisation Dr. Peader Gilligan’s warning that our hospitals face another chaotic winter, which will put more pressure on our health service.
He says a lack of emergency department resources, a lack of beds and a lack of recruitment will combine to create a “perfect storm”.
He says it’ll lead to over 1,000 people being left on trolleys.
The IMO President says we’ll be told in January that it’s a ‘flu crisis’ or a ‘winter crisis’ – but it’s not. It’s a failure of policy.
Dr Gilligan says these demands could be met with investment in both infrastructure and recruitment and that a sustained campaign of hiring- backed fully by government – is needed to fill existing vacancies and improve services.