Staggering new January record set as trolley crisis continues to reach dangerous new heights – David Cullinane TD
30 January 2025
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane TD, has expressed alarm that, with two days left to count in the month, the number of patients inappropriately admitted to hospital, as counted by the INMO, has already broken the previous overcrowding record for the month of January.
According to INMO figures, as of January 29th there have been more than 12,600 patients inappropriately admitted to hospital. This is the worst January since 2018, when the record was set at 12,395, with similar numbers experienced in January 2020 (12,000) and January 2024 (12,100). Between January 28th and 29th alone (Tuesday and Wednesday) there were more than 1,500 people counted as inappropriately admitted by the INMO.
Teachta Cullinane said that the new Minister for Health had a major task ahead of her to make an impact on hospital overcrowding, but that a new Minister by itself would not fix the problem. He said that the same problems which have dogged the health service for the past decade under Fine Gael will continue to get worse without a radical change in approach.
Teachta Cullinane said:
“Our public hospitals and health professionals are in fierce difficulty this week as they grapple with very severe overcrowding. More than 1,500 people were counted on trolleys and chairs in just two days this week by the INMO.
“With two more days to count, this is already the worst January on record for overcrowding according to the INMO data. With more than 12,600 people inappropriately admitted to hospital on chairs and trolleys so far this month, a staggering new record has been set as the trolley crisis continues to reach new and dangerous heights.
“The trend under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil is very clear. Things are not getting better in the health service – they are getting worse.
“The new Minister for Health has a major task ahead of her. Hospital overcrowding is not only dangerous, but deadly, and has a severe impact on the quality and safety of care, as well as a personal and mental toll on healthcare workers and patients.
“People attending hospitals, and healthcare professionals working in emergency departments, deserve so much better. Our healthcare workers are doing their best but are limited by government failure to invest in infrastructure and deliver meaningful reform.
“A new Minister by itself will not fix the problem. This is the fifth Minister for Health of the decade, and the fourth Fine Gael Minister for Health. The challenges across the health service will not be solved by more of the same, which is what has been promised in the Programme for Government.
“A radical reset of health policy, including significant and strategic investment in capacity alongside productivity reform and targeted savings, is needed.
“The next government must urgently invest in 5,000 hospital beds while delivering cost-effective reforms. The state has the finances to pay for these capital investments, and these projects must be fast-tracked. Crucially, the Minister for Health must get health spending under control, tackle waste, deliver safe staffing, and ensure that the health budget is sustainable.
“Additional investment is needed to open more beds and deliver more services, but this can be partially paid for through increasing efficiency and clamping down on wasteful spending such as agency staffing, management consultants, and outsourcing.
“Hospital beds are needed but it is more than just beds and staff that hospitals need – we need fundamental reform of how healthcare is delivered to place more care closer to home, in local communities and through GPs and primary care services.”
