More than 7,500 people have had to spend at least one night on a trolley bed in University Hospital Galway so far this year.

And the organisation representing nurses has warned that the situation is going to get worse, with the predicted onset of a seasonal surge associated with winter.

The total of 7,603 was the third highest of any hospital in the country up to the end of August, surpassed only by University Hospital Limerick (15,673) and Cork University Hospital (6,652).

Close to 6,000 of the total number left waiting for a bed in Galway were in the Emergency Department, with the remainder moved to wards, but not to a proper hospital bed.

The figures for the month of August, released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) show that Galway was also the third most crowded hospital that month.

However, the total of 748 people left waiting for a bed last month in UHG was below the figure for August last year, when the number came to 920, and well below the all-time high for August the year before, of 1,166.

It is also below the total for July of 1,025 patients, a month which saw University Hospital Galway in second place nationally.

More than 80,000 were left waiting for a bed in Irish hospitals in the eight months up to the end of August, with last month’s national total amounting to just over 9,600.

The INMO said in a statement that while overall figures were lower than last August, a number of hospitals had seen significant increases.

“The INMO is now calling for an urgent meeting of the ED Taskforce to look at the current situation and review lessons learned ahead of the predicted winter surges,” it warned.

Pictured: More than 80,000 were left waiting for a bed in Irish hospitals in the eight months up to the end of August.