Almost half of patients on trolleys on Wednesday at just one hospital 

This time last year, the first count by the nurses’ union after the Christmas break found 571 patients without a bed.

Almost half of the patients without a hospital bed on Wednesday were at just one hospital in Limerick, as the national count of 111 by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) is lower than had been feared.

Separate data released by the HSE shows two people aged over 75 waited longer than 24 hours to get a bed.

The INMO found 51 patients without a hospital bed at University Hospital Limerick, with the next busiest hospital in Letterkenny having 12 waiting.

This time last year, the first count by the nurses’ union after the Christmas break found 571 patients without a bed. This spiralled up to 931 by January 3 in an acute crisis affecting patients around the country.

This year, however, numbers on trolleys had dropped in the run-up to Christmas, indicating hospitals had been able to find space for almost everyone who needed a bed.

On Wednesday, the INMO data showed 15 hospitals had beds for all their patients, with no one on trolleys by 8am.

This included University Hospital Waterford and Clonmel hospital in Tipperary and the children’s hospitals in Dublin.

At Cork University Hospital, there were three patients waiting, and two at Mercy University Hospital. There were five patients without a bed at University Hospital Kerry and two in Bantry Hospital.

Before Christmas, the INMO and HSE were at odds over the way numbers of patients on trolleys are counted, with the HSE claiming the situation is not as dire as the nurses data shows.

The HSE’s figures for Wednesday shows 71 patients without a bed, including two people aged over 75 who waited longer than 24 hours.

It also shows 27 people without a bed in UHL and one at CUH.

The HSE also said 357 hospital patients had finished their treatment but could not be discharged.

Its report does not say why these patients are delayed, but reasons could include no access to homecare, waiting for a suitable nursing home bed or specialist care.

HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said they hoped to reduce this number through working more closely with community services and other measures. 

He told the Irish Examiner in September he would be "shocked" if trolley numbers of about 900 were seen again this winter due to the measures being taken.