The HSE have announced that they will be opening a number of additional beds to help tackle the ongoing trolley crisis in Irish hospitals.

Minister for Health Simon Harris meet with the HSE earlier today to discuss ways of decreasing the number of people on trolleys. 

The Executive said they will be opening an additional 63 acute hospital beds, along with 60 Transitional Care Beds across 10 acute hospitals. The beds will be opened immediately for the next four weeks in 10 hospitals. 

They said that they will admit "patients, who would otherwise remain in an acute bed, while their nursing home application is being completed and processed.”

The HSE said they will open 28 beds in Galway University Hospital, 15 beds in the Mater, eight beds in Kilkenny and 12 beds in Tullamore

The number of hospital patients on trolleys fell slightly on Thursday with a total of 578 on trolleys, according to the latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO). There was a record number of 612 patients on trolleys on Tuesday.

A number of private hospitals will also be asked to help with the problem of overcrowding.