Total of 544 patients currently on trolleys in hospitals across the State

A total of 544 patients are on trolleys in hospitals across the State, the second highest figure this year.

There are 49 patients waiting for admission to University Hospital Limerick and 47 in St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin, according to the daily TrolleyWatch count by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

Seven hospitals have 30 or more patients waiting on trolleys or in wards - Galway, Cork, Naas, Tullamore, Kilkenny, Tallaght and Beaumont.

The higher trolley figure this winter was recorded on January 5th and the highest ever figure, at 601, was reached in January 2015.