Around the country, only two of the 29 hospitals with emergency departments had enough beds to meet the demand arising from the high number of patients attending who needed to be admitted.

Overcrowding at Cork University Hospital has reached “frightening” levels, the nurses’ union has warned, with 53 patients unable to get a bed on Monday.

In total, more than more than 550 people were on hospital trolleys throughout the country today, with patients across Munster and Connaught the most badly affected.

Just two of the 29 hospitals with emergency departments had enough beds to meet demand and had no patients waiting on trolleys when the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) counted this morning.

Patients at University Hospital Limerick faced long delays with 60 people on trolleys, followed by Galway hospital with 54, and Cork University Hospital where 53 people were unable to get a bed.

The figures also show smaller Munster hospitals faced challenges, although University Hospital Waterford had enough beds to meet demand. 

INMO assistant director of Industrial Relations for the southern region Colm Porter said concern is growing as the pressures increase.

“A nurse could leave work on a Friday and the same patients could still be there on a Sunday or Monday,” he said.

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Nurses are reporting delays in discharging patients because they are not enough beds in respite centres or nursing homes, he said. This then leaves new patients unable to get a bed. 

“It’s a regular occurrence really that you would have 50 patients on trolleys at CUH on a daily basis, which is frightening,” he said.

The INMO trolleywatch recorded the highest ever number for CUH in February, but the July tally came second to that.

“That is abnormally high for this time of year,” he said. “We are obviously very concerned this is an early indication of a pretty bleak winter across the country.”  Referring to UHL, he said since a damning HIQA report in June the numbers have improved somewhat. 

Just days ago a petition relating to overcrowding at UHL and signed by 15,000 people was given to the Oireachtas committee on public petitions by the Midwest Hospital Campaign.

A spokeswoman said: “This action was taken to put the national spotlight on the need to tackle overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick and to address the situation of timely access to safe and proper healthcare in the Midwest.” 

Mr Porter said there are system-wide issues which need to be addressed by the HSE before the winter really starts.

“There’s been a bit of a hangover really from Covid, people who might have been not presenting,” he said. “We are probably still seeing that as an issue coming through. The systematic problems are there at the minute, particularly after the weekends and the Bank Holidays.” Staff shortages have often been linked to hospital pressures, however he said that is not the case across the board.

“The issue in CUH isn’t really staffing levels, there are staff there,” he said. “There is a lot of work going on to convert agency staff into HSE staff. It is just the sheer pressure once the staff go into work.”

"It has never been this bad at this time of year," he said. "The HSE needs to get its Winter Plan in place as soon as possible. It is no good waiting until we are in the midst of winter and trolley numbers are absolutely through the roof." 

Last month, the INMO found almost 10,000 patients spent time on a trolley in a shocking new monthly record. General secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha called for urgent action.

“The consistently high levels of overcrowding we have seen this summer are sounding the alarm for a very bleak winter ahead, unless immediate action is taken by the Minister for Health and the HSE in the form of a fully-funded winter plan,” she said.

Read More400 people die each year due to long A&E waits

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