Hospital overcrowding: Children and elderly among over 700 patients without a bed

711 patients, including 23 children, are being treated on trolleys, chairs or in other inappropriate spaces on Tuesday, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

At University Hospital Limerick, there are 125 people without a bed, with 54 in the emergency department (ED).

At University Hospital Galway, 68 people are being treated on trolleys, with 45 in the ED.

Sligo University Hospital has 52 people on trolleys, including 33 in the ED.

INMO Assistant Director of Industrial Relations for the West and Midwest, Colm Porter, said: “Hospital overcrowding has been particularly problematic on the West Coast and Midwest for quite some time. Today, over 59 per cent of patients on trolleys are in a hospital along the western seaboard.

“We need to see a serious attempt to de-escalate the chronic level of overcrowding in all hospitals in the west and north-west. The HSE must use all tools and capacity available to them immediately.

“This level of overcrowding, coupled with unsafe nurse staffing, is creating an incredibly dangerous situation for our members and the patients they want to treat in a safe and timely manner.”