Hospital trolley patient numbers up 42% over St Patrick’s bank holiday period

By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association

There was a “sharp deterioration” in hospital trolley figures over the St Patrick’s Day bank holiday period, according to the Government.

There was a 63 per cent increase in morning trolley numbers over the holiday period when compared to 2025.

This saw 42 per cent more patients waiting on trolleys at 8am on the morning of Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 – an additional 97 people when compared with the same date in 2025.

There was also significant regional variability – leaving several sites in “red” status.

Attendances were 6 per cent higher than last year, with a sharp increase in the over-75 age group.

Five of the country’s health regions recorded an annual increase in their daily average 8am trolley counts over the St Patrick’s bank holiday period this year.

Factors adversely impacting performance during the bank holiday period included reduced patient flow activity due to the bank holiday landing on a Tuesday.

This created a “four-day” holiday period rather than the typical three-day bank holiday weekend.

There was also a decrease in the availability and access to private hospital beds in March in line with private activity increases in the private hospitals.

Delayed transfer of care (DTOCs) exceeded 500 in advance of the bank holiday weekend, 66 per cent above the national threshold of 300.

The increased prevalence of norovirus was also listed as a significant additional factor.