A total of 612 patients are currently waiting on trolleys in emergency departments or hospital wards across the country, according to the latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
This marks the highest level of overcrowding since October 8, when 641 patients were recorded waiting for hospital beds.
University Hospital Limerick (UHL) has the highest number of patients on trolleys, with 102 people awaiting beds. This includes 41 patients in the emergency department and 61 in other hospital wards.
Cork University Hospital ranks second, with 75 patients on trolleys, followed by Sligo University Hospital, which has 45 patients waiting.
The ongoing overcrowding crisis is exacerbating challenges for hospital staff. INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha highlighted that nurses and midwives are working under “very difficult conditions,” striving to deliver quality care and ensure patient safety amid mounting pressures.
UHL’s overcrowding issues have drawn particular scrutiny, as data presented at a regional health forum earlier this year revealed that 239 patients died while waiting on trolleys there between 2019 and 2023.