University Hospital Limerick (UHL) has again broken its own record in terms of the numbers of people waiting on trolleys with 138 patients in its emergency department and on wards seeking admission.
They are among 683 admitted patients in acute hospitals waiting for a bed, according to the daily 'Trolley Watch' list issued by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) - the highest daily figure for 2024.
Cork University Hospital has 50 patients waiting, St Vincent’s in Dublin has 44 and Galway University Hospital has 43 patients.
The daily figures for UHL have surpassed the recent high volumes of 132 on 22 January.
The high numbers differ from the daily figures issued by the HSE for those waiting in hospitals on its daily Emergency and Urgent Care list which says that 507 patients nationwide are waiting, of which 104 are waiting over 24 hours, and 30 of those are aged over 75.
There are 88 patients waiting in both the emergency department and on wards in UHL, according to HSE figures.
The INMO has said the level of overcrowding in Irish hospitals is "incredibly dangerous".
General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said that the figures highlighted "another post-bank holiday trolley surge" around the country.
"The level of overcrowding across hospital sites is incredibly dangerous. These types of post-bank holiday surges are not new," she added.
"There is no point in the HSE issuing statements describing how bad the problem is, they should have been taking preventative measures in the week leading up to the bank holiday to ensure that we didn’t find ourselves in the position we are in today."
Ms Ní Sheaghdha said: "The HSE must outline what steps it is taking to alleviate the pressure in our hospitals over the in the immediate and short-term, and for the St Patrick’s Day and Easter bank holidays which will happen in quick succession.
"It is clear that the system is now completely overwhelmed. We need targeted measures to tackle this crisis, particularly in the midwest where overcrowding is completely out of hand," she said.
Big increase in resources for UHL - Donnelly
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly described the situation at UHL as "very disappointing".
He said there had been intensive engagement with the hospital, with vast increase in resources, such as beds and staff, adding that injury units had opened in Ennis.
"There are further changes required ... in how some of our bigger hospitals are managing patient flows, most definitely including Limerick," Mr Donnelly told RTÉ's News at One.
"We need to continue to add capacity ... but critically we must see the reforms to patient flow and discharge".
