Cork University Hospital is the most overcrowded hospital in the country this lunchtime with 49 people being treated on trollies.
The figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation come as the union revealed to RedFM News at the end of last month that the overcrowding in some hospitals is "out of control".
A consultant at the hospital has admitted that staff at the hospital are working at "full throttle" trying to care for an unprecedented numbers of patientswhile trying to re-schedule operations, clinics and diagnostic investigations that were postponed during the pandemic.
Speaking to RedFM News the INMO's Liam Conway said all hospitals across the acute sector in Cork and Kerry are short staffed at present.
"Capacity has to be invested in, whether that is outsourced to the private sector remains to be seen, in terms of the winter plan, but additional bed capacity is required.
"There is significant investment to be conducted in Cork surrounding older persons services, but that's just simply not quick enough and that really needs tone prioritised for the winter.
"Additional beds need to be bought or built in the Cork area, to allow for the decanting of our emergency departments and our medical and surgery wards which are experiencing significant overcrowding which we're witnessing at present."
