Mayo candidate 'shocked' by ongoing high hospital trolley numbers

"Councillors and TDs must do more now to protest against shocking trolley numbers. They are accepting this as normal. It's not normal. Numbers are not improving and people are still suffering."

That's according to Mayo independent local election candidate, Harry Barrett.

Barrett made his call after the INMO trolley watch reported 19 people on trolleys in Mayo University Hospital today.

The centre had announced a number of weeks ago it had made a major breakthrough in dealing with overcrowding at the facility as a result of the opening of an acute medical assessment unit.

But serious problems are still being encountered there.

He continued: "Why is it accepted as normal that 19 sick patients, many of them frail and elderly, are left waiting for hours and hours on trolleys to access healthcare in Mayo.

"They must demand more GP cover, they must demand more beds and they must demand more home supports to end this.

"We need a health system that gives our elderly a level of dignity and this ongoing chaos in our emergency department does not provide dignity in any sense."