INMO Reports Worst April on Record for Hospital Overcrowding
Cork hospitals recorded 1,391 trolley cases in April 2026, with INMO reporting the worst April on record for overcrowding nationally.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has said April 2026 was the worst April on record for hospital overcrowding, with 11,175 patients waiting for hospital beds across the country during the month.
In Cork, Cork University Hospital recorded 917 patients on trolleys throughout April, while Mercy University Hospital recorded 436 and Bantry General Hospital recorded 38. Combined, the three Cork hospitals accounted for 1,391 cases during the month.
In the wider Munster region, University Hospital Kerry recorded 365, while University Hospital Limerick recorded 1,954, the highest figure at any single hospital nationally.
The INMO has called for investment in nurse and midwife-led services in acute and community settings.
Phil Ni Sheaghdha, INMO General Secretary:
"There is no reason for us to be breaking records at this time of year, in a mild month, with no particular crisis preventing the smooth functioning of the health service, 11,000 people being treated in corridors is inexcusable.
It is deeply unjust and a disservice to members and their patients that we are seeing these figures at the beginning of summer, and the fact that nurses continue to go to work and provide the best care they can in these conditions is a testament to their own commitment.
It is time to invest seriously in staffing and capacity in acute and community facilities rather than continuing to impose this psychological tax on nurses and endanger their patients' health and outcomes."
The most recent Trolley Watch figures, published on Friday 1 May, show 29 patients waiting for beds at Cork University Hospital, two at Mercy University Hospital, and one at Bantry General Hospital. The national total stood at 383, with five patients under the age of 16.
The INMO's Annual Delegate Conference takes place from 6 to 8 May at the Fairways Hotel in Dundalk, with the theme Wellbeing, Safety and Solidarity. The Minister for Health is due to attend the morning session on Thursday 7 May.