Stephen McMahon, of the Irish Patients’ Association, said the data appears to confirm that harm has been caused to patients during the current hospital overcrowding crisis. “Studies have shown that such events in Irish hospitals are under-reported by as much as a factor of two,” he said.

“While the number of adverse incidents may appear small, these numbers are likely to increase.

“We would encourage all healthcare professions to report adverse events as they are aware of them to the National Incident Management System.”