Overcrowding at Waterford hospital meant patients waited over 90 minutes for ambulances

Local TD and Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane said: "Essentially we have had ambulances acting as hospital trolleys.”

Some ambulances, according to staff sources, were held for between four and five hours, meaning they were not free to answer other calls. File picture: Larry Cummins

Seven ambulances were forced to wait outside the Emergency Department at University Hospital Waterford with their patients last week, due to severe overcrowding. “Essentially we had ambulances acting as hospital trolleys,” local TD David Cullinane has said.

The hospital also experienced what it called a challenging holiday period with staff absences due to Covid and Influenza across all disciplines which impacted on the ability to treat patients.