'Huge surge in presentations' and bad weather sees more than 100 patients on trolleys in Limerick

Monday saw 122 people without a bed, on Tuesday it was 102, and it stood at 105 on Wednesday, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation

A new 16-bed unit has opened at University Hospital Limerick.

More than 100 people have been stuck on trolleys every day at University Hospital Limerick this week despite the completion of a new 16-bed unit and staff sleeping in hotels to avoid snow-covered roads.

Sandra Broderick, HSE regional executive officer for the Mid-West, said UHL has seen “a huge surge in presentations” with numbers up over 26% since December 20.