Overcrowding figures down in MUH compared to this time last year

Figures published by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) Trolley Watch show a reduction in overcrowding at Mayo University Hospital (MUH) when comparing February 2025 with February 2026.

In February 2025, a total of 503 patients were recorded as waiting for a hospital bed at MUH. The figure fell to 455 in February 2026, representing a decrease.

Nationally, however, the INMO reported that 11,595 patients were treated without a hospital bed in February 2026, making it the worst February on record for hospital overcrowding.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said the recruitment embargo under the HSE’s Pay and Numbers Strategy had exacerbated pressures across the system.

READ NEXT: Narrative verdict recorded at inquest of man punched outside Mayo pub

“Our members predicted that the recruitment embargo represented by the HSE’s Pay and Numbers Strategy would worsen the situation in already disastrously overcrowded hospitals. Sadly, they have been proven right, as we are seeing here the results of a failure to adequately staff services in both hospital and community services.

“This is a truly alarming situation, and one that can only be addressed with a serious commitment to safe staffing across the health service.

“There is simply no care without staffing, and additional bed capacity in the health service needs to be matched with the staffing numbers prescribed in the safe staffing framework.”

INMO Assistant Director of Industrial Relations Mary Fogarty said overcrowding in Limerick and Galway will have an impact on those across the West and Mid-West.

“Our members are telling us there is simply no way to provide safe care in conditions where there are 50 to 100 patients on trolleys every day, and this impact on patients, alongside the physical and mental toll on our members, is simply unacceptable. 

“This is a high-risk situation for our members and the patients attending these hospitals, as well as people requiring community and primary care across these regions, and staffing numbers need to be brought in line with healthcare needs as a matter of urgency.”

Meanwhile, figures released today (Friday, February 27) show that 29 patients are currently awaiting a bed at MUH, including 12 in the Emergency Department and a further 17 in wards elsewhere in the hospital.

READ MORE: 'Red letter day' for Mayo as Calleary unveils over €47 million investment in housing