Some hospital emergency departments are dealing with three times more patients this winter compared to 2021.
The figure comes from the Irish Patients' Association, as October saw a 26% increase in patients attending EDs on the same month last year.
The Irish Nurses' and Midwives' Organisation is continuing to highlight the overcrowding crisis and issues relating to the retention and recruitment of staff.
Recent anecdotal evidence has pointed towards the cost of living meaning it's difficult for nursing staff to continue to work and live in Dublin.
Stephen McMahon from the IPA says it's having a frightening impact on staff and the level of care they can give:
"So the impact of this is the ED is overcrowded.
"Patients can be head-to-toe on trolleys with staff having difficulty moving between them.
"I had one phlebotomist - a person who takes bloods - who told me at the weekend she had to help someone up from the floor."
