Hospitals are on a drive to empty wards of as many patients as possible in a bid to avert another dangerous spike in ­trolley gridlock after the Christmas period.

Today’s Irish Independent is reporting that most hospitals will not carry out any surgery on waiting-list patients for at least three weeks except where urgent.

Hundreds of beds normally used for treating people on waiting lists will be kept free for patients coming through emergency departments to control overcrowding.

It comes amid fears for patient safety if hospitals suffer the same scenes as last winter when 931 people were without beds on the worst day in early January.

Intensive efforts lowered the numbers of patients on trolleys down to 256 yesterday afternoon, with another 304 transferred from emergency ­departments to “surge capacity beds” – normally used by those with planned admissions, according to HSE figures.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly told the HSE to ensure all staff rosters were filled over Christmas and into the new year to avoid another crisis, and that all efforts be made to secure stepdown care for those who could be discharged.