THERE were 2,257 admitted patients treated on trolleys, chairs, and “inappropriate spaces” during the month of July – the largest number of any hospital in the country – according to figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
That number is almost twice a many as the next most overcrowded hospital, University Hospital Galway, where 1,146 patients out of a national total of 9,271 were treated on trolleys across July.
The numbers, based on the INMO’s weekday-only Trolley Watch count, come as UHL late last month reached 200 consecutive days as the most overcrowded hospital in Ireland, reported exclusively by this newspaper.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said “the figures speak for themselves, and high trolley numbers in summer only send a negative message to our healthcare workers and the people of this country”.
“Nurses and midwives are disheartened heading into the autumn winter period, and they already know they will have to endure the added pressure of flu and other viral infections, including Covid,” the INMO boss said.
“Trolleys are no longer just a feature in our emergency departments, they have now unfortunately become a feature across medical and surgical wards. In the space of 10 years, the number of people receiving care on a trolley outside of the emergency department has risen by 30 per cent.”
The INMO boss hit out that “the government’s capital plan must include expanding the number of beds” across Ireland.
Speaking in response to UHL’s 200-day milestone, a hospital spokesman said that “in 2025, UHL has been managing its highest recorded levels of ED attendance. Up to July 20th, 51,465 patients attended ED, 10 per cent higher than at the same point in 2024.”
“Average daily ED attendance at UHL in 2025 has been 262, and daily presentations have exceeded 300 on 25 days, including January 28, when 334 patients attended, the highest ever recorded at our ED on a single day.”
The UHL hospital spokesman explained that “attendances have increased by 10 per cent over the past 12 months (compared with a national average increase in ED attendances of 2.6 per cent)”.
“UHL has also had the highest admissions from ED nationally this year, at 16,018, which is four per cent greater than at the same point in 2024.”
The spokesman pointed to the opening of the first of two 96-bed blocks at UHL in September, and two new rapid-build 16-bed wards as ongoing efforts to curb overcrowding.
“Meanwhile, to further improve emergency access at UHL, additional consultants are on duty at weekends and bank holidays, and we are sincerely grateful to our healthcare teams for their tireless efforts to meet our current capacity challenges,” the spokesman concluded.
