There are 542 people on trolleys in emergency departments or on wards on Tuesday waiting for admission to a hospital bed, nurses have said.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said the hospitals worst hit by overcrowding were University Hospital Limerick, University Hospital Galway and Cork University Hospital.
There were 52 patients deemed by doctors to require admission waiting on trolleys or on wards for a bed at University Hospital Limerick.
The INMO said there were 47patients waiting for a bed at University Hospital Galway and Cork University Hospital.
The nurses’ union said there were two children on trolleys waiting for admission to a bed at Temple St Hospital in Dublin.
The last week or so has seen a spike in the number of patients having to wait on trolleys or on wards for admission to a hospital bed.
