Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, I raised with the Taoiseach the chronic overcrowding in our hospitals. I echoed the concerns of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, which has told us that this crisis is putting patient care at risk and has described the situation as being beyond unsustainable. Today, we woke to the news that University Hospital Limerick has 82 patients without beds, the highest figure ever recorded in any hospital. In September, over 1,400 patients in Limerick were without beds. Today, it breaks the record for the number of people on trolleys. Yesterday, the Taoiseach said it was not simply a matter of beds. The issue in Limerick today is a simple matter of capacity and beds. Yesterday, the Taoiseach, quite correctly apologised. The reality is, however, that an apology is not enough. What is his plan for University Hospital Limerick? It is a disgraceful hospital in terms of the record-breaking number of people on trolleys.

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