More than 120 patients on trolleys in west

There are more than 120 patients on trolleys at the four hospitals in the west today.

There are 10 patients awaiting a bed at Mayo University Hospital with four in the emergency department and six elsewhere in the hospital according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation figures.

Meanwhile, Sligo University Hospital has 35 patients on trolleys and chairs with almost two-thirds or 23 of those in the emergency department.

University Hospital Galway has 55 patients awaiting a bed and there were 23 patients languishing on trolleys and chairs at Portiuncula Hospital in county Galway.

Nationally there were 607 admitted patients waiting for beds this morning with 428 of those in the emergency departments while 179 are in wards elsewhere in the hospitals.

The number of patients on trolleys has fallen by 11% since last Tuesday when there were 683 patients awaiting a bed.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha then described the 'level of overcrowding across hospitals as "incredibly dangerous".