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The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) reported that 12,274 patients were treated in “inappropriate locations” in Irish hospitals during September 2026. The union called it the worst September on record for hospital overcrowding. University Hospital Limerick had the highest total among the hospitals named, with 1,994.
What the September figure means
The INMO uses “inappropriate locations” to describe admitted patients without a conventional hospital bed, including people treated on trolleys, chairs or in other inappropriate bed spaces. Its monthly release does not explain whether 12,274 represents unique individuals, admissions or patients counted across reporting days. It should therefore be read as the union’s reported monthly total—not as a count of distinct people or a snapshot of how many patients were waiting at one time.
For comparison, the INMO said 628 patients were on a trolley, chair or in another inappropriate bed space on 14 September. That was a daily count, not the September total; the union also said more than a third of patients admitted without a bed were being treated elsewhere in the hospital that day. INMO statement for 14 September.
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The INMO named these five hospitals as having the highest September totals:
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| Hospital | Patients reported in inappropriate locations during September 2026 |
|---|---|
| University Hospital Limerick | 1,994 |
| University Hospital Galway | 1,061 |
| Cork University Hospital | 1,008 |
| St Vincent’s University Hospital | 895 |
| Sligo University Hospital | 884 |
These are monthly totals reported by the INMO, not simultaneous counts from a single day. The INMO’s 1 October release gives the figures; the Irish Examiner also reported the same five totals.
How September compared with August
The INMO reported 9,945 patients admitted without a bed in August 2026, describing that month as the worst August on record. September’s reported total was 2,329 higher, by direct subtraction. That comparison covers two monthly releases; it does not establish a longer-term trend or explain why the figures changed. INMO’s August statement.
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What the INMO is asking the HSE to do
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha called on the Health Service Executive (HSE) to publish its winter plan for the 2026/27 season and begin recruiting additional staff. She argued that opening beds and increasing capacity requires staffing matched to current health-service needs. Those are the union’s recommendations and assessment, rather than independently established causes of the September total.
In its 1 October statement, Ní Sheaghdha said: “The winter surge has not really begun in acute settings yet, and we are already approaching the very highest figures we have ever seen for people on trolleys.” She also said the HSE should set out how it intended to reduce trolley numbers and hire staff to meet current needs.
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The union’s separate safety position
In a separate statement on 22 September, the INMO described overcrowding as a major safety risk for patients and staff. It said hospitals with more than 22 patients in an emergency department should declare overcrowding a major incident. This is the union’s stated position; the available statements do not establish 22 patients as a general statutory threshold. INMO statement on emergency-department overcrowding.
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