The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has called on the HSE Emergency Department Taskforce to urgently convene in light of "abnormal" trolley figures.

Yesterday, 74 admitted patients were waiting for beds at Cork, with 546 patients without a bed nationally. 

Some 63 patients were waiting for beds at the emergency department at Cork University Hospital, the highest number of patients without beds in any emergency department in the country.

At the Mercy, 11 admitted patients were waiting for beds. 

University Hospital Limerick had the highest overall number of patients waiting for beds with 56 patients waiting in its emergency department and 39 patients waiting in other wards.

Colm Porter, assistant director of industrial relations at the INMO told The Echo that the number of people waiting on trollies was deeply concerning and, without intervention by the Health Service Executive (HSE), would only worsen.

“It’s only the start of June, and already we’re seeing the kind of numbers of patients waiting on trollies that you would expect to see in winter, and in some cases we’re seeing higher numbers,” Mr Porter said.

“The Government was able to help fix the issues at Dublin Airport when they had long queues two weekends ago, but the same kind of urgency isn’t being applied to the trolley crisis,” he added.

Mr Porter said the INMO was calling on the HSE Emergency Department Taskforce to urgently convene in light of the current trolley figures, and to put in place a hospital-by-hospital plan for the short, medium, and long-term.

A spokesperson for the HSE said: “Recently the Minister for Health has asked for a three-year plan to comprehensively address the multiple factors [affecting emergency departments] and reduce the significant delays in access to emergency care nationally.

“This will include consideration of capacity and capability across acute & community services”.