Hospital overcrowding levels start to rise again

The hospital overcrowding crisis has worsened this week with more than 500 patients lying on trolleys waiting for a proper bed.

The Irish Nurses’ and Midwives’ Organisation (INMO) said its daily head count found 375 people in emergency units and another 131 crammed into wards already at capacity.

Once again the university hospitals in Cork and Limerick were the worst in the country with a total of 44 patients admitted but awaiting access to a bed in a ward.