Galway has the second most overcrowded hospital in the country

SEPTEMBER 2026 was the worst September on record for hospital overcrowding with Galway being the second most overcrowded hospital in the country.

The newly published figures by Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) trolley watch revealed that a total of 1,128 patients were treated on trolleys at the two hospitals in Galway.

Galway University Hospital was the second most crowded hospital with 1,061 patients on trolleys, while University Hospital Limerick was the most crowded hospital with 1,994 patients on trolleys in September 2026.

On Wednesday, 34 patients were waiting on trolleys at University Hospital Galway.

Nationally there were a total of 12,274 patients treated in inappropriate locations in Irish hospitals in September 2026, with 112 of them being under the age of 16 years.

INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha noted that the numbers are already approaching the highest figures when the winter surge has not even begun yet.

Ms Ni Sheaghdha has urged the HSE to immediately publish its winter plan for 2026-2027 season outlining exactly how they intend to radically reduce the number of patients on trolleys.

“The HSE must begin to recruit additional staff immediately and remove all obstacles to recruitment being faced by senior nurse and midwife managers, or we will see catastrophic safety incidents occurring in acute settings this winter,” she added.

Ms Ni Sheaghdha also emphasised that opening more bed spaces and increasing capacity would require hiring additional staff to meet the current needs of the health service, and “not the staffing needs of three years ago”.