The Health Minister Simon Harris is talking with hospital group CEOs in relation to overcrowding.

It comes as the latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) show 592 people are waiting on trolleys or wards for a hospital bed around the country.

University Hospital Limerick has 52 people waiting for a bed - 30 on trolleys and 22 on a ward.

There are 46 people on trolleys and wards at St Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny - while Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore has 37 people waiting for a bed.

In Dublin, Tallaght Hospital has the highest number of people waiting - at 29.

The overall figure is down slightly on Wednesday, when 677 people were waiting on trolleys.

Minister Harris said he met with senior staff in his department on Wednesday, and is being regularly updated by senior officials in the HSE.

In a statement, Minister Harris said: "I want to recognise again the intense efforts of all our staff across the health service and the very difficult conditions patients experience at this time of high pressure in our emergency departments.

"It is vital that we begin to see an impact from the exceptional measures being undertaken to reduce overcrowding in our EDs and (on Thursday) I will be directly updated by each hospital group CEO on this.

"While recognising that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, we must continue to ensure the lessons that can be learned from those hospitals performing better are applied across the system.

"I want to reassure the public that all the Winter Plan measures funded by increased investment by Government, like increased access to home care, transitional care and diagnostics along with additional acute bed capacity, are being implemented to deal with the extra pressures our health service is experiencing."