THE NUMBER OF patients waiting on trolleys over the recent St Patrick’s bank holiday period increased by 63% when compared to last year.

Cabinet were informed of the figures at a meeting this evening.

The St Patrick’s bank holiday period is defined as the period from 14-17 March.

It was noted that while there has been a 9% increase in attendances in the first two months of this year, there was an 8% drop in the number 8am trolley numbers.

However, the St Patrick’s bank holiday period saw a 63% increase in 8am trolley numbers compared to 2025, leaving several sites in ‘RED’ status, which means the number of people on trolleys is over the hospital’s threshold.

Attendances were 6% higher than last year over the St Patrick’s bank holiday period, and attendances by the over 75’s also increased sharply, with some regions experiencing increases of over 27%. 

There were 42% more patients waiting on trolleys at 8am on the morning of 18 March 2026 when compared with the same date in 2025.

Cabinet was told that some factors behind these increases were the limited operating hours at Injury Units and the increased prevalence of Norovirus which reduced the ability to discharge to community settings and caused delays in patient flow in some sites.

Delayed Transfers of Care also exceeded 500 in advance of the bank holiday weekend, 66% above the national threshold of 300.

A delayed transfer of care is when a patient is ready to leave hospital but is still occupying a bed.

It happens when a patient is waiting to go home or into care elsewhere, but the care or home supports are not in place for them.

The Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill remarked that there is a need to build on “early-year progress” through consistent implementation of Urgent and Emergency Care action plans.

She added that all sites must focus on discharging over weekends and ensuring optimal access to non-acute services including GPs, pharmacies and Injury Units.