Hospital overcrowding: Over 100 patients waiting for beds in both Limerick and Galway

More than 770 patients were waiting on trolleys in Irish hospitals on Tuesday morning.

University Hospital Limerick (UHL) was the worst affected, with 110 people waiting for a bed, followed by University Hospital Galway (UHG) where 100 patients were waiting on trolleys.

Nationally, 497 patients were waiting in emergency departments, while 273 were in wards elsewhere, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

According to the Health Service Executive's own figures, 551 people were waiting on trolleys across HSE-run hospitals on Tuesday.

There were 69 patients waiting in UHL and 59 in UHG. Cork University Hospital had 50 patients waiting for a free bed, according to the HSE's daily urgent and emergency care report.

The HSE figures include patients waiting on a hospital trolley or extra bed placed in an inappropriate space in a hospital ward.

The INMO also counts patients placed on corridors or chairs elsewhere in hospitals while waiting for admission to a bed.