931 patients are without a bed in Irish hospitals today, a new record.
The latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation show 158 people waiting for a hospital bed at facilities in the Shannonside Region.
The Health Executive is asking patients to avoid Emergency Departments unless necessary, as the system grapples with one of its 'busiest ever periods'.
Sligo and Galway University Hospitals are extremely busy today, dealing with 48 and 52 people waiting on trolleys or on chairs.
The Emergency Department at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe is under pressure this afternoon also, where 25 patients are waiting for a bed.
Midlands Region Hospitals in Mullingar and Tullamore also recorded 20 and 5 people on trolleys respectively.
Nationally, 931 people including 26 children are being treated in trolleys or chairs across the country today.
