A record number of people are attending emergency departments.
The HSE says the effects of a tough winter are evident in the state of our health services.
Hospitals are seeing record attendance levels, with almost 28,000 attending Emergency Departments this week alone.
Of those, almost 7,000 people were admitted, which shows an increase of 23.8 per cent on the same week last year.
There has been an average of 333 people on trolleys each day this week, a 203 per cent increase on the same week last year.
A large proportion of those admitted are over the age of 75, resulting in longer stays and community supports when discharged.
Covid-19 continues to have an impact on services, with 595 Covid patients in acute settings this morning.
Over half of all nursing homes are reported to have a Covid-19 outbreak, which is causing delays to nursing home residents being discharged from hospital.
The HSE is encouraging anyone facing an emergency to go to an Emergency Department, but are asking those who don’t require urgent care to refrain.
