551 Patients Waiting for Hospital Beds Across Ireland This Morning
551 patients are waiting for hospital beds across Ireland this morning, with 68 of those at Cork University Hospital and Mercy University Hospital.
More than 550 patients are without a bed in Irish hospitals today, with Cork's two main hospitals accounting for 68 of that total, according to the latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
The INMO's Trolley Watch for Wednesday, 4 March 2026 shows 551 admitted patients waiting for beds nationally, with 357 of those waiting in emergency departments and a further 194 in wards elsewhere in their hospitals.
Cork University Hospital is recording 41 patients without a bed this morning, with 30 waiting in the emergency department and 11 in wards elsewhere. Mercy University Hospital, Cork has 27 patients waiting, 22 in the emergency department and five in wards.
Bantry General Hospital has one patient waiting in a ward elsewhere.
Nationally, University Hospital Limerick is under the heaviest pressure, with 109 patients waiting for beds, including 44 in its emergency department and 65 in wards. Sligo University Hospital has 54 patients waiting, while University Hospital Galway has 53.
Of the 551 patients waiting nationally, 10 are under the age of 16.
The country's hospitals account for 405 of the total, with 221 in emergency departments and 184 in wards. Eastern hospitals, including children's hospitals, account for the remaining 146.
Full figures for each hospital are available at inmo.ie.
