The HSE has deemed the incident “unacceptable”.
A 91-year-old man was left on a hospital trolley for more than 29 hours in Tallaght Hospital in an incident that the HSE has deemed “unacceptable”.
Following the news, the HSE has stated that there will be a report in the coming days to explore the reasons why this occurred.
“Clearly the experience was unacceptable. From our point of view the focus has to be how to improve that and what are we doing to make a difference over the course of this winter,” said Liam Woods, National Director for Acute Hospitals with the HSE on Morning Ireland.
He added that another 16 beds will be opening at the hospital in the coming months, with a gradual opening of 420 beds nationwide.
Mr. Woods also stated that hospital services are under increasing pressure due to an aging population.
Meanwhile, Minister of State at the Department of Health Kathleen Lynch also spoke on the programme, adding: “It’s very easy when you’re voiceless to get lost in the chaos that sometimes ensues in our emergency departments.”
Figures from the INMO (Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation) show that October was the worst October on record, with 7,971 patients cared for on trolley.
In the first 10 months of the year, almost 80,000 admitted patients were on trolleys, the highest ever figure since the Trolley Watch began.
