Yesterday an Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation protest at Sligo University Hospital was averted at the last minute because there is to be an emergency meeting of the Workplace Relations Commission and an independent assessment of staffing requirements. We should never have allowed this situation to fester to this point. Today's Trolley Watch figures show a total of 25 patients waiting for a bed at Sligo University Hospital. This is the third-highest number in the country, just behind Limerick and Letterkenny. The north west is coming out on top. This is a pattern; it is not just about today's figures.

There is also a major issue at Sligo over the employment of agency staff. I have received many emails on this matter from individuals at the hospital, who say that as permanent staff, they have to work around the availability of agency staff. Surely it should be the other way around, or there should at least be some parity of esteem. I am asking for immediate action to be taken in respect of those waiting for beds.

Overall, with regard to the allocation of resources and recruitment, there has been very extended financial provision, both last year and this year, for the acute hospital service. An increase in capacity has been provided for across the country. I do not have the specifics for Sligo hospital. Close to 4,500 staff were recruited in the HSE this year, and over 6,000 were recruited in 2020. Between the two years, about 11,000 have been recruited. A significant number of additional nursing and medical staff are included in those figures. I will ask the HSE to focus specifically on Sligo to determine how we can help further and alleviate pressure there in the next while.