April 2026 the worst April on record for hospital overcrowding, INMO says

Eva Osborne

April 2026 is the worst April on record for hospital overcrowding, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has said.

11,175 patients were waiting for hospital beds around the country last month.

University Hospital Limerick (1,954), University Hospital Galway (1,003), Cork University Hospital (917), and Sligo University Hospital (903) had the highest numbers of patients waiting for beds last month.

The INMO said investment is needed in nurse and midwife-led services in acute and community settings.

The union's general secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, said “There is no reason for us to be breaking records at this time of year, in a mild month, with no particular crisis preventing the smooth functioning of the health service, 11,000 people being treated in corridors is inexcusable.

“The long-term degradation of their working environment has a profound effect on our members and we know that this affects their careers and their wellbeing.

“INMO members are about to head into their annual conference, where once again burnout, and the effects of inadequate staffing will be central topics of discussion and debate.

“Members’ work, their energy, mental capacity and enthusiasm for nursing, are all continuously affected by shortfalls in the health system."

Stress takes energy and focus away from their personal and professional goals and affects their capacities to advance their practice and their professions, Ní Sheaghdha said.

“It is deeply unjust and a disservice to members and their patients that we are seeing these figures at the beginning of summer, and the fact that nurses continue to go to work and provide the best care they can in these conditions is a testament to their own commitment.

“It is time to invest seriously in staffing and capacity in acute and community facilities rather than continuing to impose this psychological tax on nurses and endanger their patients’ health and outcomes.”