Over 700 patients waited on trolleys at Letterkenny University Hospital in October

Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) had 701 patients left waiting for a bed during October, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

The figure makes LUH the sixth‑most overcrowded hospital in the state for the month and marks the third‑worst October on record, after 708 patients in 2025 and 943 in 2021.

The HSE appealed to the public last week to consider all medical options before attending LUH’s Emergency Department, after 177 people presented for treatment on 28 October alone.

In the North West, Sligo University Hospital recorded 967 patients waiting for a bed, ranking it fifth‑most overcrowded in October.

Nationally, INMO reported that 12,672 patients were treated in corridors, chairs or other unsuitable locations across acute hospitals in October, the highest monthly total on record.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha described the situation as “simply disgraceful” and a “complete crisis”, warning that patients treated on trolleys or chairs face poorer health outcomes. She called for an immediate reversal of the Department of Health’s decision to halt recruitment and for increased investment in staffing and bed capacity.

Source: Donegal Daily. Photo: Даниил Зенцов / Pexels.