Additional services and later opening hours in primary care centres are just some of the measures that need to be implemented to tackle overcrowding in Cork hospitals.
That's according to Liam Conway of the INMO who says that the overcrowding was 'chronic' before the pandemic, and Covid 19 has only made it more dangerous.
His comments come after frontline staff at the Mercy University Hospital expressed concern that some patients with Covid have been kept temporarily in the Emergency Department.
The INMO says that although the patients are isolated, it increases risk for both patients and staff and needs to be addressed.
Speaking to RedFM News the INMO's Liam Conway says that increasing beds isn't the only solution to the overcrowding issues:
"It needs additional services in Primary Care Services and Continuous Care as well. If, for example, you need to see somebody out of hours, there's very limited service at the moment. While, for example, you can go to the Primary Care Centres, and that may include additional purchase, or the requirement for additional diagnostics. And, also as well, ensuring that there's additional bed capacity. While Marcy is planning to develop and increase its bed capacity. We know increasing beds is not the only solution."
