A total of 11,493 people, including 434 children, were admitted to hospital without a bed in November.
The figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation shows a decrease from 12,624 patients during the same period in 2022.
University Hospital Limerick was the worst affected by the overcrowding with 1,962 waiting on trolleys, up from 1,596 in the previous 12 months. INMO General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said the numbers were far too high. She added that the current HSE moratorium on recruitment would require a further curtailment of services. Despite a 9 per cent decrease in patients on trolleys compared to November 2022, a number of local facilities continue to be badly affected by overcrowding. Portiuncula University Hospital saw a decrease in the number of patients on trolleys in 2023, down to 57 from 298 the year before. Our Lady's Hospital Navan also saw a drop, with 29 patients without a bed this November compared to 135 in 2022. There was, however, a significant rise in those admitted without a bed in most other local hospitals. There were 234 left waiting for a bed at Cavan General Hospital last month compared to 151 the year before while Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar saw an increase of over 100 patients this year, with 337 waiting for a bed.
Meanwhile, Sligo University Hospital with 804 patients, and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, 265, were also significantly impacted by overcrowding.
