Hospital overcrowding: More than 530 patients waiting for beds

Tomas Doherty

More than 530 admitted patients were waiting for beds in hospitals around the country on Tuesday morning.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said 113 of those were in University Hospital Limerick, more than a fifth of the overall figure.

Of the total number on trolleys, 364 were in emergency departments, while 173 were in wards elsewhere.

According to the Health Service Executive's own figures, 378 people were waiting on trolleys across HSE-run hospitals on Tuesday.

There were 66 patients waiting in University Hospital Limerick, according to the HSE's daily urgent and emergency care report.

The HSE counts patients waiting on trolleys or extra beds placed in inappropriate spaces in hospital wards.

The INMO also includes in its figures patients placed on corridors or chairs in other parts of hospitals while waiting for admission to a bed.