Almost 500 people were on trolleys awaiting admission to public hospitals around the country this morning, according to figures compiled by the Irish Nurses and Midwives organisation.
Cork University Hospital was among the worst affected, with 54 people on trolleys between the hospital's emergency department and dispersed through hospital wards.
Beaumont Hospital in Dublin had 38 people on trolleys, University Hospital Limerick had 34 and Letterkenny General Hospital had 31.
The Health Service Executive has said it is committed to reducing hospital over-crowding through its Winter Initiative Plan.
But the INMO says capacity and recruitment issues remain, and sufficient money has not been set aside to discharge elderly patients to the community.
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