The number of emergency patients in hospitals forced to wait for admission on trolleys in emergency departments and wards increased by 2% last year, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO)

According to the INMO, which monitors hospital overcrowding, a total of 67,863 patients waited for admission to a hospital bed in 2013 compared with 66,308 in 2012.

A total of 57,286 spent time on trolleys, in emergency departments across the country last year and a further 10,577 sick people spent time on trolleys, chairs or beds on in-patient wards/units above the stated complement of that ward/unit.

The INMO says the overcrowding crisis has now become hospital wide in many areas. As it only began to count the number of patients, inappropriately placed on wards/units (as advised by members on the ground) in March 2013, it says the actual 'ward watch' figure for that year would be higher.

The union says while there were improvements in overcrowding levels in some hospitals during 2013, a number of hospitals showed an increase in numbers of patients waiting for admission, such as Beaumont, Connolly, St James's and Tallaght Hospitals in Dublin and the Mercy Hospital, Cork, Limerick Regional, Mullingar and Portlaoise Hospitals as well as Navan, South Tipperary, St Luke's, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford Hospitals.

The INMO said after almost 10 years focus on the ED trolley issue, all hospitals were still struggling with trolleys on a daily basis.

INMO General Secretary Liam Doran said the increase in overcrowding of 2% in 2013 was very disappointing.

He said while it was accepted that Health Minister James Reilly's Special Delivery Unit has reduced the numbers on trolleys, the problem was now compounded as, in some hospitals, patients, on a daily basis, were being placed on chairs, trolleys and extra beds on already full wards/units - a practice which is unsafe for patients and makes it almost impossible for nurses to practice safe care.

Mr Doran pointed out that there were 2,131 beds closed across the country and 5,100 nursing/midwifery posts have been cut in the past five years across all services including the community. In addition, the health service budget had been cut by €619 million for 2014.

"It is difficult to see how this crisis, which has been on-going since late 2004, can be solved without major investment. It was deemed a 'National Emergency' in 2006 but the numbers have increased by 22% since then."

The INMO said it was calling on the Government to urgently re-think its position on the health services.