Over 10,500 patients were left waiting on trolleys in hospitals nationwide last month - a record for the month of March, new figures have shown.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation's (INMO) latest Trolley/Ward Watch figures, 10,511 patients were left waiting on trolleys during March. Some 191 children were also on trolleys during the month.

A record 3,112 patients were left on trolleys during just one week and the highest number ever recorded in one day was 714.

The worst hit hospital was University Hospital Limerick, with 1,022 patients on trolleys during the month. According to INMO industrial relations officer, Mary Fogarty, there is ‘an urgent need' for additional nursing staff and more beds.

"Patient safety and clinical care is compromised due to the inability of the hospital to retain and recruit nurses, with 60 nursing vacancies currently confirmed," she noted.

Other badly hit hospitals included Cork University Hospital (877on trolleys), University Hospital Galway (709) and St Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny (603).

The worst hit hospital in Dublin was Tallaght Hospital (508).

The figures are 11% higher than March of last year and 124% higher than March a decade ago.

The INMO warned that it expects this week to be extremely busy as a result of the bank holiday weekend.

"During the month of March the INMO called for extraordinary measures to be put in place to focus on recovering from the adverse weather event, ensuring prioritisation of emergency care requiring all non-urgent and routine cases to be cancelled during that period.

"We are now calling for these measures to be implemented again. In this crisis, all measures to properly resource and staff the health service must be explored and the assistance of services in the private acute hospitals must also be sought," commented INMO general secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha.

She added that it is ‘simply not possible' for staff to continue to provide safe care under current conditions.