More than 1,000 people on trolleys at Cork University Hospital last month

More than 1,000 people were treated on trolleys at Cork University Hospital (CUH) last month, as Irish hospitals hit their highest September figures for overcrowding on record.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) trolley watch analysis, 12,274 people were treated in what were described as “inappropriate locations” in Irish hospitals last month. The figure was a substantial increase from September 2025, when the total stood at 9,767

University Hospital Limerick recorded the highest trolley figures last month, at 1,994 patients, followed by University Hospital Galway, at 1,061, with CUH in third place at 1,008.

The figures for the other Cork hospitals also show year-on-year increases, with 392 people on trolleys at the Mercy University Hospital last month, compared with 180 in September 2025. The figure for Bantry General stood at 159 last month, compared with 29 in September last year.

HSE must act now

Commenting on the September figures, INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha, said the HSE must act now on recruiting additional staff for hospitals across the country ahead of the winter season.

“The winter surge has not really begun in acute settings yet, and we are already approaching the very highest figures we have ever seen for people on trolleys,” she said.

Ms Ní Sheaghdha called on the HSE to publish its winter plan for the 26/27 season, outlining exactly how they intend to radically reduce the number of patients on trolleys.

“The HSE must begin to recruit additional staff immediately, and remove all obstacles to recruitment being faced by senior nurse and midwife managers, or we will see catastrophic safety incidents occurring in acute settings this winter.

“Opening bed spaces and increasing capacity requires additional staff to be hired to meet the current needs of the health service, not the staffing needs of three years ago.”