Hospital overcrowding may have contributed to an extra 1,200 deaths this winter

The IPA linked this statistic with a UK medical study which warned that long waits before admission lead to a greater risk of death at a ratio of one extra death for every 82 patients within 30 days.

This could indicate that among 104,818 patients who waited longer than six hours for a bed, as many as 1,278 may have died unnecessarily, the IPA warned.

Co-founder Stephen McMahon said that these numbers “should be a cause of concern”.

More patients were delayed past the target time this winter than during the winter of September 2021 - January 2022, he said.

The analysis shows “a deteriorating of admission rates within six hours from 35.7% to 32%” between the two winters, with fewer admitted on time.

The IPA also questioned why “significant multi-billion euro investment” in new hospital beds over three winters has not benefited more patients. These extra beds should mean fewer patients waiting on trolleys, they argue.

Instead, HSE data shows that during almost every week this winter more over-75s spent too long on a trolley than during any winter week since 2018. Only once in 21 weeks was the count lower than a previous winter.

Some 1,228 extra beds were funded since 2020, with 907 delivered by late last year, and plans for over 300 to be delivered this winter, the latest plan states.

“Questions need answers as to why there was a deteriorating in patient experience times for admission to a ward despite an addition of 332 beds and associated capacity of 11,903 patient bed [days] being added in 2022,” said Mr McMahon.

The plan also showed the equivalent of 65,836 bed-days used in private hospitals last year by public patients, funded by the HSE.

He queried why removing this many patients from public hospitals did not result in improvements for the remaining patients.

Responding, a HSE spokeswoman said that excess deaths are monitored through the EuroMOMO system.

“Unlike many other European countries, Ireland’s system has capability of focusing specifically on excess deaths due to pneumonia and influenza,” she said.

“This has shown us that a significant proportion of excess mortality in Ireland in this winter has been driven by pneumonia and influenza [estimated at approximately 65%].

“Reassuringly, as levels of these respiratory virus infections have fallen since early-mid January 2023, the level of excess deaths has also fallen, and now no excess mortality is being recorded for late January/February 2023.”

A Department of Health spokesman said that excess deaths were previously seen during the flu season of 2017/2018, and during the pandemic.

“As we have experienced a winter of high levels of influenza cases and hospitalisations, it would not be unexpected to see excess mortality,” he said.