HOSPITAL OVERCROWDING HAS reached its highest level in nearly four years.

There are currently 824 people on trolleys around the country, according to figures published by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) on Wednesday.

The INMO has called for an “immediate and decisive response” from the HSE including the “cessation of all elective activity in acute hospitals, with private hospital capacity purchased to accommodate this work”.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha called the situation “dangerous” and said it requires “immediate action”.

She said the HSE and Department of Health need to be “honest with the public about the dire situation facing the majority of our emergency departments”.

She criticised department-imposed “restrictions” on recruitment processes and said department sign-offs cause an “extremely delayed process that creates significant risks for frontline patient care and staff safety”.

“The HSE cannot restrict recruitment while simultaneously expecting existing services and capacity to continue regardless of the staffing available”, she continued.

The last time the number of patients on trolleys around the country was over 824 was in January 2023.

On Tuesday this week, the number was 777. 

Today, University Hospital Limerick has the most patients being treated without a bed at 97.

This is followed by Cork University Hospital at 81 and St Vincent’s University Hospital at 65.