There are over 1,200 beds available in private and voluntary nursing homes nationwide, a new survey has found.

It was carried out by Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI), the representative organisation for Ireland's private and voluntary nursing home sector, in response to the ongoing overcrowding crisis in the country's Emergency Departments (EDs).

Some 584 patients were waiting on trolleys in EDs nationwide on Wednesday and on Tuesday, the figure hit 601.

One of the main reasons given for the current crisis is the fact that around 800 patients are waiting to be discharged from acute hospitals, but have nowhere to go. There have been numerous calls for increased supports for these patients, including calls for more nursing home places.

NHI carried out a survey of 442 nursing homes on January 6 and among the 277 that responded, 1,261 beds were found to be unoccupied.

According to NHI chief executive, Tadhg Daly, the current problems in EDs are ‘complex and multifaceted', however he insisted that the under-resourcing of the Fair Deal scheme in 2014 has ‘led to a crisis in older person care'.

The Fair Deal scheme provides financial support for nursing home accommodation. However, according to ALONE, the national charity which supports older people, over 1,100 older people are currently on the Fair Deal waiting list - an increase of almost 200% since February 2014.

"The 800 older persons unnecessarily in acute hospitals at present highlight the critical role nursing home care plays in supporting acute services. It is incumbent upon the Government to plan appropriately to avert present crises and the significant challenges that will present as our population ages rapidly," Mr Daly said.

The NHI survey reveled that among 61 nursing homes in Dublin, there were 178 unoccupied beds. The same number of beds was also found in just 23 nursing homes surveyed in Galway. Meanwhile 105 beds were found to be unoccupied in 14 Kildare nursing homes, 78 in 11 Meath nursing homes and 77 in 31 Cork nursing homes.

For more on the ED crisis, see here