University Hospital Limerick, which serves North Tipp, was the most overcrowded hospital in the country in July.
That’s according to figures obtained by the INMO.
INMO figures for July show that 7,069 admitted patients were on trolleys across Ireland, 21 of them under 16.
This is an increase of 11% on last year, and the most overcrowded July since records began.
Figures for University Hospital Limerick, serving North Tipp, Limerick and Clare, showed 897 patients were cared for on trolleys across the month.
The figure is more than 200 higher than the next most overcrowded hospital – Cork University Hospital – with 614.
Other hospitals with particularly high numbers on trolleys included Midlands Hospital Tullamore with 494, and University Hospital Galway with 457.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said the HSE is sleepwalking into another winter crisis, and believes it is very unlikely that services will develop to alleviate overcrowding this year.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s emergency departments are at least 216 nurses short of what is needed to care for all admitted patients, according to HSE figures obtained by the INMO at the Workplace Relations Commission.
There are 159 unfilled vacancies, while the HSE estimate that an additional 57 nurses are required within emergency departments to care for admitted patients for whom there are no available beds.
