CORK City hospitals are among those recording children under the age of 16 on trolleys.

Yesterday, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) raised concerns about the number of children without a bed in Irish hospitals as the highest day on record for paediatric overcrowding was recorded.

Both Cork University Hospital (CUH) and Mercy University Hospital (CUH) are among the hospitals with children under 16 years of age on trolleys, with 46 children without a bed nationally.

INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “Today we are seeing an unprecedented number of children on hospital trolleys. The level of overcrowding we are seeing in our paediatric hospitals is very worrying.

“This is not only dangerous for staff and for patients, it is simply no way to safely treat sick children who are admitted to hospital. It also places a further burden on families who have to experience long waits while accompanying a sick child, potentially overnight. INMO officials are engaging with management across CHI sites to request the prioritisation of emergency admissions.

“Staffing in our children’s hospitals must be a focus for the HSE and Department of Health in the short and long term.”

According to the latest figures, there were 71 patients on trolleys in emergency departments across the city and a further eight patients on trolleys in West Cork on Tuesday.

CUH continues to record the highest number of patients waiting on trolleys across the country. 

There were 45 patients waiting on trolleys in the hospital’s ED on Wednesday morning. There were an additional seven people on trolleys in wards elsewhere in the hospital. 

At MUH, there were 19 patients awaiting a hospital bed. At Bantry General Hospital (BGH) there were a further eight patients waiting on trolleys. 

The South/South West Hospital Group has been contacted by The Echo for comment.