There are over 460 people waiting for admission to hospital today.

Figures from the INMO show 355 patients waiting on trolleys, with a further 106 in wards waiting for a bed.

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda has the highest figure, at 43.

Beaumont in Dublin has 40, while University Hospital Limerick has 34.

Meanwhile, a Galway Emergency Department consultant has said his unit routinely functions in "full capacity protocol", a designation that is designed for when the situation escalates to an unacceptably high level.

He told Newstalk's Breakfast that the overcrowding issue is "frustrating", "demoralising", and "not right".