Over 6,800 adult patients were left waiting on trolleys in hospitals nationwide last month, as well as 50 children in Dublin's three children's hospitals, new figures have shown.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation's (INMO) latest Trolley/Ward Watch figures, 6,861 patients were left waiting on trolleys during the month of June.

This marked a 4% drop on last year's figure of 7,124, which the INMO welcomed. However, it also marked a 48% increase on the same figure five years ago, when 4,622 patients were on trolleys during the month of June, and a 91% increase on the same figure 10 years ago, when 3,589 patients were on trolleys.

The hospitals with the worst trolley figures last month were University Hospital Limerick (883 on trolleys), Cork University Hospital (721), University Hospital Galway (501) and Tallaght Hospital (442).

The INMO said that the June figures represented a ‘small but welcome drop' in the number of patients on trolleys, however it pointed out that the overall figures are still ‘extremely high'.

"There is little respite from the discomfort and indignity for patients and the stressful high-risk working environment for nurses in our Emergency Departments.

"While we welcome this minor reduction, we require urgent and effective dialogue to prepare for the coming winter. The obvious lack of bed capacity cannot be addressed unless the severe recruitment and retention crisis in nursing is tackled," commented INMO deputy general secretary, David Hughes.