The number of people waiting for hospital beds on trolleys has dropped to 401, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

This compares to record high of more than 600 on Tuesday.

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

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

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

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

It comes as nurses at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital are holding a lunchtime protest today.

The demonstration at the gates to the hospital is in protest at what the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) says are unsafe conditions for patients and staff due to continued overcrowding in the emergency department.

It comes ahead of industrial action on January 27th, when the nurses will stage a work-to-rule if there is no dramatic improvement to the overcrowding.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar has said that two extra beds should be placed on hospital wards as it was safer than having up to 40 people on trolleys in emergency departments.

However the INMO disagrees, and say it has already been proven not to work.

Speaking on The Right Hook here on Newstalk, Mr Varadkar admitted the situation could worsen in the next few weeks.