As politicians enjoy their extra long summer recess, issues with small bearing on their agendas such as hospital overcrowding keeps getting worse.
Official figures just released indicate that August’s overcrowding levels were at an all-time high.
In total, 7,781 patients spent time on trolleys or on wards last month, a figure that is up 27% on the same month last year.
University Hospital Limerick once again topped the list, followed by Galway University Hospital and South Tipperary General.