The majority of those patients on trolleys in Cork hospitals last month were in CUH (792), while 70 people were on trolleys in the Mercy University Hospital, and 13 in Bantry General Hospital.

INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, said: “The number of patients we have seen on trolleys in the month of May are higher than January 2023, when we saw the worst levels of daily hospital overcrowding since the INMO began counting trolleys."

The Government has agreed to increase the maximum sentence for those convicted of assault on hospital staff, prison officers, members of the fire brigade, ambulance workers, and members of the Defence Forces