Record hospital overcrowding leaves over 11,000 patients without beds in February

Hospital overcrowding in Ireland has hit record levels, with more than 11,318 patients admitted without a bed in February, according to the latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

The union has described this as the worst February for overcrowding on record, marking the second consecutive month of unprecedented pressure on the healthcare system.

So far in 2025, over 25,290 patients, including more than 250 children, have been left waiting on trolleys for hospital beds.

University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded hospital in the country last month, with 1,938 patients left without a bed.

It was followed by Galway University Hospital (1,019 patients), Cork University Hospital (1,014 patients), Sligo University Hospital (779 patients), and St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin (733 patients).

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha expressed alarm at the situation, calling it “completely unacceptable.”

“This has been the worst start of the year we have seen for hospital overcrowding since the INMO began counting trolleys in 2006,” she said.

Ní Sheaghdha criticised the Health Service Executive (HSE) for what she described as attempts to downplay the crisis.

“The levels of overcrowding in February were completely unacceptable. The attempts by the HSE to downplay the situation in our hospitals are extremely cynical,” she said.

She called for urgent and “extreme measures” to tackle the crisis.

“How long can we continue to deal with the same issues without extreme measures being taken to ensure this unacceptable situation does not continue into the year?” she asked.

The INMO leader also highlighted the toll overcrowding takes on healthcare staff and patients alike.

“Our members continue to work in intolerable conditions where their patients are left in undignified and sometimes dangerous environments,” she said.

“There must be a change in mindset in how we approach this overcrowding crisis from senior decision-makers, from hospital management to HSE senior management levels.”

As the crisis deepens, the call for urgent action is growing louder. The pressure is now on those at the highest levels of healthcare management to address what is fast becoming an unsustainable situation.