The ongoing overcrowding at the Emergency dept of Mayo University hospital is not acceptable and demands immediate attention, according to Castlebar Independent councillor Michael Kilcoyne.

There are 20 patients on trolleys at the hospital today awaiting admission to a bed. The INMO Trolley watch figures nationally are today recording a high of 656 people waiting for admission to hospitals across the country.

There are 22 on trolleys at Portiuncla, 15 at SUH and 23 at GUH.

There was a six percent increase in the number of hospital patients waiting on trolleys in 2017.  The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says overcrowding is unlikely to decrease unless drastic action is taken. 

Just short of 100,000 thousand patients were recorded as waiting on a hospital bed last year - of that, University Hospital Limerick recorded the highest annual number.

Speaking to Midwest News today Councillor Kilcoyne expressed his concerns for the people of the region, if the predicted new flu virus takes hold in the new year. He said the long promised modular build, to alleviate pressure in the hospital's ED, like Santa Claus can be expected next year.