931 patients are without a bed in Irish hospitals today, a new record.
It comes as the Health Executive asks patients to avoid Emergency Departments unless necessary, as the system grapples with one of its ‘busiest ever periods’.
52 people are on a trolley at Letterkenny University Hospital today.
A new record has been set for overcrowding in Irish hospitals, according to the latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation .
931 people are being treated in trolleys or chairs across the country,
767 are in emergency departments, 164 are elsewhere within the facility, while 26 children have been admitted to hospital without a bed.
University Hospital Limerick is the most overcrowded facility in the country, with 97 patients on trolleys.
Its followed by Cork University Hospital where 74 patients are left waiting.
It comes as the HSE appeal to people to consider consulting a pharmacist, a GP or attending a minor injury unit before going to an Emergency Department.
