Nursing shortage in acute hospital at ‘crisis point’

A shortage of nurses in a 300-bed, acute hospital has reached "crisis point" largely because of the recruitment ban, it has been claimed.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation also claimed the situation at Kerry General Hospital in Tralee, which serves a population of 150,000, is unsafe and untenable.

The nursing union’s industrial relations officer, Michael Dineen, said its members were challenged to deliver safe, effective care to patients.