Almost 50 children were waiting on hospital trolleys on January 24, the highest number ever recorded, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has said.

According to its latest Trolley Watch figures, 517 admitted patients were left waiting in hospitals without a bed on January 24, including 46 children – “the highest day on record for paediatric overcrowding”.

While no children were waiting on trolleys in Tallaght Children’s Hospital, 23 were waiting on trolleys in Crumlin Children’s Hospital, while a further 23 were waiting in Temple Street Children’s Hospital.

According to INMO general secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, this level of overcrowding in children’s hospital is “very worrying”.

“This is not only dangerous for staff and for patients, it is simply no way to safely treat sick children who are admitted to hospital. It also places a further burden on families who have to experience long waits while accompanying a sick child, potentially overnight,” she commented.

Ms Ní Sheaghdha said that INMO officials are engaging with management of the children’s hospitals “to request  the prioritisation of emergency admissions”.

“Staffing in our children’s hospitals must be a focus for the HSE and Department of Health in the short and long-term,” she added.