Michael McHale , 2025-10-17 16:30:00
Overcrowding impacted ‘privacy and dignity’ of patients on trolleys, report found
Staff in Cork University Hospital were unable to keep trolleys in its ED one metre apart due to the levels of overcrowding, health regulators found.
Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) inspections found that, in an unannounced inspection on March 19 and 20 last, there was a mismatch between service demand and the availability of beds.
This in turn impacted patient flow and contributed to a high number of delayed discharges.
“On day one of the inspection, the emergency department was in red escalation, with 99 registered patients present at 11am,” the inspectors noted in their report.
“While privacy and dignity was upheld for patients accommodated in individual cubicles and pods within the department, this was not the case for patients placed on trolleys in the corridor of the emergency department.”
The report added that, while adequate physical distancing was maintained in beds in multi-occupancy rooms, ‘in the ED, trolleys observed along the corridor did not always maintain the required minimum distance of one meter’.
While identifying areas of concern in Cork University Hospital, the report also noted improvements in patient experience times made at the hospital since its last inspection.
HIQA published the report as part of a tranche of 12 hospital inspections which, for the first time, included private hospitals. Of those reports published, seven related to private facilities.
Among the risks identified were gaps in clinical oversight and staffing arrangements in Beaumont Lodge, a transition care unit in Artane, Dublin, operated by Bartra Healthcare.
Issues in relation to arrangements to manage potentially deteriorating patients in Leopardstown Park Hospital Rehabilitation Service were also noted as having the potential to impact patient safety.
Good levels of compliance were also found in Mallow General Hospital and the Beacon Hospital Dublin, although areas identified for improvement included addressing overall compliance with mandatory and essential training in Mallow, and the risk assessment of areas utilised for ED overflow in the Beacon.
Both Mallow and Cork Hospitals and St Patrick’s Hospital in Carrick-on-Shannon had absenteeism rates above the HSE target of four per cent. Beaumont Lodge and Cork University Hospital faced notable staffing gaps across key disciplines, including nursing and pharmacy. HIQA noted that these shortages were unsustainable and placed additional pressure on existing staff.
Inspectors found good levels of compliance in Mater Private Hospital, Listowel Community Hospital District Unit, St Patrick’s Hospital, UPMC Aut Even in Kilkenny and Bons Secours Hospitals in Dublin and Cork. All inspections were carried out between March and June 2025.
“The publication of our first inspection reports of private hospitals is a significant milestone for HIQA in its mission to promote safer, better care in both the public and private sector,” said HIQA head of healthcare John Tuffy.
“The recent expansion of our remit will help to provide greater transparency across the healthcare sector and facilitate comparison of compliance in public and private hospitals with the goal of driving improvements in the overall delivery of healthcare in Ireland.”
