The Irish Association of Emergency Medicine (IAEM) says any improvements made in overcrowding levels in emergency departments are long overdue.

The emergency consultants say the lives of patients are still at risk, even though waiting lists have dropped in the last two days.

The group says that while the reduction of the numbers of patients on trolleys is welcome, the current figure of 370 is still too high.

The association says the Health Service Executive (HSE) should have taken action to tackle the problem months ago.

Earlier this week, 601 people were waiting on trolleys in hospitals around the country - a number which the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) says is a record high.

Yesterday, the INMO said there were 401 people waiting for hospital beds on trolleys.

Dublin's Connolly Hospital topped the list - with 41 people waiting for a bed.

Beaumont Hospital had 37 people waiting for admission to a bed, St Vincent's University Hospital was at 22 - as was the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.

In Limerick, 37 people were waiting for a bed at the University Hospital there, in Cork there was a waiting list of 20 people and University Hospital Galway had 24 people on trolleys.

While Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda saw 31 patients waiting for a bed there.

Dr Fergal Hickey is a consultant in emergency medicine at Sligo Regional Hospital.

He explains what conditions have been like at the emergency department there.

Dr Hickey added that the aim should be to have no patients on trolleys at any A&E unit in the country:

Originally posted at 9.22am