The vast majority of nurses have said patients are being treated in inappropriate settings such as hospital corridors, according to a union’s survey.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said it conducted a survey of its members on the hospital trolley numbers.
The INMO said results indicate 84.37% of nurses have cared for patients in inappropriate settings in the last year, such as emergency department corridors and waiting rooms.
Of those respondents, 85% said patient care and safety were compromised in these settings.
It comes after the union said 13,972 patients were treated in hospitals without beds in January, making it the worst month ever since the union began tracking trolley numbers.
The survey also found that 64% said that delivering care in inappropriate settings was a daily occurrence and 22% said it occurred weekly.
A further 71% said patients often remain in these areas for more than 12 hours, and 72% said they had seen patient safety incidents directly related to inappropriate care settings, such as falls and delayed treatments.
The vast majority said increasing bed capacity and recruiting more nursing staff were key to addressing overcrowding in hospitals.
The INMO said 1,587 respondents completed the survey, the vast majority of whom work in adult acute healthcare settings (87%).
The survey was carried out from January 19 to 31.
INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said that many of their members are afraid of reporting unsafe conditions to management which creates “a culture of silence”.
She said nurses have said there are “huge ethical concerns” with placing patients in inappropriate settings such as window bays and waiting rooms.
“Patients with infectious diseases, dementia, or mental health conditions are being placed in inappropriate settings, increasing risks for both staff and other patients,” she said.
“The vast majority of our members who reported working in overcrowded settings have told us that their workload has increased and their stress levels are on the rise.
“Along with this, they’re telling us that the situation is leading to a lower quality of patient care.
“This situation is avoidable, but it has been allowed to worsen year and year at the expense of the health and safety of staff and patients alike.
“This is simply inexcusable.
“Nurses have voiced serious apprehensions about the suitability of some patient care areas, yet these warnings continue to be disregarded by the Health Service Executive.”
She added: “The new government has an opportunity to turn this situation around with a radical plan to staff hospitals, introduce plans to retain existing staff and increase capacity across acute and community services over the coming year, including the fast-tracking of elective-only hospitals.
“Anything short of this will continue to put lives in danger.”