'Pushed to the brink': More than 100,000 patients spent a night on a trolley this year

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha: 'The HSE and Government have effectively accepted recruitment processes will be slowed down to a crawling pace when replacing staff who retire or go on long-term leave, and in the meantime it is up to the existing staff to fill in the gaps.' Photo: Gareth Chaney

More than 100,000 people have spent a night on a trolley in Irish hospitals so far this year, new figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation show.

The union said staff shortages, such as Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel having over 50 vacancies in stroke and other critical areas, are adding to overcrowding pressures.