There are 397 people waiting on trolleys in hospitals across Ireland, almost a month after figures reached a record high of 563 patients.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives' Organisation Trolley and Ward (INMO) published their latest 'trolley and ward watch' figures, highlighting the amount of people waiting on beds across the country.
The hospital with the most amount of people waiting on trolleys is Dublin's Beaumont Hospital, at 42. There are 39 people waiting on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick, and 28 in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
In total 397 people are waiting on a trolley in hospitals around the country, with a further 121 patients on impatient wards but above the stated complement of the units.
It comes following news that more than 100 nurses are to be recruited for a number of hospitals to tackle overcrowding.
The breakthrough was confirmed late last night, and means the INMO has deferred industrial action planned for hospitals in the midwest this morning.
Liam Doran, General Secretary of the INMO, spoke to Lunchtime about the figures and the new posts:
The extra nursing posts were secured during two separate hearings involving the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) yesterday.
Agreements were reached which will see 70 nursing staff being taken on at the University Hospitals Group.
That includes University Hospital Limerick, Ennis, Nenagh and Croom Orthopaedic Hospitals.
As a result, the INMO has called off industrial action planned for the Mid West Group this morning.
Some 39 staff are also being taken on at Naas General Hospital in Co Kildare, and the INMO is recommending action planned for that facility tomorrow morning should also be called off for now.
The union is now demanding an aggressive recruitment campaign to have all of the posts filled immediately.
Originally posted at 7.10am