The Irish Nurses and Midwives' Organisation has said that compared with August last year, last month saw a 40% increase in emergency department overcrowding.
It says there were 6,518 patients on trolleys last month and that there has been an overcrowding increase each month this year, when compared to the same month in 2014.
The hospitals with the greatest levels of overcrowding last month were Drogheda, with 680 patients on trolleys; Beaumont, with 678; Limerick, 618; University College Hospital Galway, 458; Cork University Hospital, 399; and Tallaght, 395.
INMO General Secretary said the situation was getting worse and would continue to do so until significant extra bed capacity for both acute and continuing care was introduced.
He has called for a meeting of the Emergency Department Task Force to consider further measures to alleviate the situation.
The INMO Council will meet on 8 September to discuss the issue.
Meanwhile, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin has said that the €1.9bn in extra funding requested by the HSE next year is not realistic.
