Last week, 1,887 patients spent more than 24 hours waiting on trolleys, but the time when such headlines would have been a shock, or a watershed moment inspiring remedial action, seems to be long gone.

Yet there may be a sense now that the situation has edged into a realm beyond crisis.

In University Hospital Limerick earlier this week the overcrowding was so bad that a fire officer inspected the premises; the officer’s report is expected to be made public as soon as it is completed.

The situation is also clearly taking a serious toll on staff, with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation telling the Irish Examiner that it is dealing with distressed nurses who are reduced to tears by their workplace conditions.

As a consequence we are now seeing a true paradox being enacted in real time, where Irish hospitals may be among the most unhealthy places to work, let alone attend as a patient.

In that context it was interesting to learn that a reporter from this newspaper was told by security guards at UHL that media representatives could not speak to patients — members of the public — within the gates of the hospital campus. 

It sounds as though the focus of hospital management would be better directed at those they are supposed to serve.