Eight patients in the hospital in Louth still waiting for hospital beds as overcrowding crisis continues

Over 500 people were waiting for beds in hospitals across the country this morning, Wednesday, including eight in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, as the overcrowding crisis continues.

As many as 528 admitted patients were waiting for beds this morning with 422 patients left in the emergency department, while 106 are in wards elsewhere in the hospital, according to today’s Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

There were 17 patients waiting for beds in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital on Monday, with it dropping to eight people today.

The hospitals worst affected today include Cork University Hospital with 55 people waiting, St Vincent's Hospital with 40 and the Mater Hospital with 34.

Last week, Ireland recorded its highest ever number of patients waiting for a hospital bed on a single day at 931.

The INMO said the overcrowding problems in Irish hospitals should be treated as a “national crisis”.

They began to consult with its members this week ahead over the possibility of taking industrial action amid claims of unsafe staffing levels.