23 patients on trolleys at Mayo University Hospital today

Twenty-three patients are on trolleys at Mayo University Hospital today.

A total of 14 are in the emergency unit and nine are in wards.

It's the third highest figure in the country today.

Up to 80 admitted patients are without beds in University Hospital Limerick today – with more than 12 being cared for on chairs overnight, without even a trolley.

The INMO has called for urgent intervention from the Minister for Health, with the immediate appointment of an external crisis management team to oversee governance at the hospital.

This team would set out a clear plan to:

-open additional bed capacity and recruit staff to fill vacancies,

-manage hospital activity within available bed capacity, and

-engage with trade unions to address the industrial relations difficulties on site.

The union warned that the HSE’s stated “no tolerance” policy for overcrowding during Covid was clearly being broken, along with social distancing guidelines, placing staff and patients at risk.

Nationally, 277 patients are without beds across Ireland’s hospitals.

The worst-hit include Sligo University Hospital with 35.