Over 400 patients on trolleys at MUH in October
This is an increase from the 257 people without a bed in October 2025.
Over 400 people were on trolleys last month at Mayo University Hospital.
Figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) show overcrowding continued to rise, with 403 patients without a bed at MUH.
This is an increase on the 257 patients without a bed in October 2025.
Overcrowding was an issue across hospitals in the west, with 1,106 people without a bed at University Hospital Galway, while 951 patients were on trolleys at Sligo University Hospital.
Overall, it was the worst October on record for hospital overcrowding, with 12,672 patients being treated in corridors, on chairs or in other inappropriate locations in acute hospitals.
The union has stated the overcrowding crisis is consistently worse than previous years, with over 111,000 patients treated on trolleys so far in 2026.
INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “Every single patient who is treated on a trolley or chair can expect a worse health outcome than those who are lucky enough to be treated on a bed.
“It is simply disgraceful that patients are being left to languish for hours or days in brightly-lit corridors without privacy or any comfort, while the HSE has made the decision to halt recruitment into existing vacant posts that would allow them to increase bed capacity and expand services.
“This is a complete crisis, with higher numbers of patients than ever being completely let down by the health service. But rather than take steps to improve this situation, the government and the HSE are implementing measures that are guaranteed to make it worse.
“Running a health service is an investment in our society. Behaving as though healthcare staff recruitment and retention is a burden on the state is disconnected from ordinary people who work in the health service and those dependent on the services they provide. This continued lack of targeted investment is going to lead to the services and staff being run into the ground.
“Our members’ calls for safe staffing and increased recruitment come from their experience on the wards, and in communities where they can see the effect of understaffing on their patients and their colleagues.
“There needs to be an immediate reversal of the Department of Health’s decision to cease recruitment, and a focus on investment, expansion and safety for patients and staff.”
