There's been a drop in the length of time people stay in Irish hospitals, according to a new report published on behalf of the HSE this morning.

The research carried out by the ESRI examined activity in 57 public hospitals participating in the hospital in-patient inquiry scheme.

The average length of stay in 2012 was 4.1 days - that's a decrease of almost 5% since 2011.

While, the average acute in-patient length of stay ranged from 3.9 days in the HSE South area to 4.2 days in Dublin North East.

Professor Miriam Wiley, Head of the Health, Research and Information Department at the ESRI, explained the research on Newstalk's Breakfast: