520 people are on trolleys or waiting in wards in Irish hospitals this morning, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

The latest 'trolley and ward watch' report from the organisation shows there are 54 patients waiting on a bed in Cork University Hospital alone.

There were 32 patients waiting on trolleys or in wards in Portiuncula Hospital - one above the 31 recorded in both University Hospital Galway and University Hospital Limerick.

In Dublin, 30 patients were on trolleys in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital's emergency department.

The national figure is up on yesterday's tally of 459, and only seven fewer than this day last week. Record figures of more than 600 patients were recorded at the start of this month.

The INMO's Liam Doran says the situation his colleagues face today is intolerable.

"Demand continues to be above this day last year," he said. "Staffing continues to be very short, and the situation continues to be in crisis."