Almost 7,800 patients were left waiting on trolleys in hospitals nationwide last month, new figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) have shown.

According to the INMO, the number of patients left waiting on trolleys ‘remains at a record high'.

A total of 7,781 patients were waiting on trolleys in August, a 27% increase on August 2016's figure of 6,136.

The hospitals worst affected were University Hospital Limerick (835 on trolleys), University Hospital Galway (643), South Tipperary General Hospital (489) and University Hospital Waterford (486).

The INMO also highlighted the fact that over 65,000 people were left waiting on trolleys in the first eight months of this year, a 7% increase when compared to the first eight months of 2016, and a 90% increased when compared to the same period in 2007.

Ten years ago, just 32 people were waiting on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick during the month of August, compared to last month's 835.

"There is no doubt that the level of attention required to manage trolley overcrowding has dropped in recent months. The abnormal and very harmful and detrimental effects of overcrowding are no longer viewed as requiring urgent action, as the HSE focuses on measuring and counting the problem rather than addressing it," commented INMO general secretary, Liam Doran.

He added that these latest figures are cause for major concern, particularly as we enter the autumn/winter months, which tend to be even busier.

The INMO is holding an Emergency Department (ED) meeting today (September 4), during which it will be seeking the implementation of a number of emergency measures, including:
-Senior clinical decision makers are rostered on an extended day basis over the seven-day period
-Senior general managers are present in hospitals on a 24/7 basis
-Nurse managers are provided with full autonomy to recruit additional staff.