Up to 11,000 new nurses and health and social care professionals could be hired as part of the government’s new recruitment drive.

Nurses are also being told to submit statement of concern forms to management in their hospitals.

There are almost 500 patients waiting for admission to hospital today.

Both sides in the nurses dispute have until this morning to decide if an agreement can be reached to avert strike action.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has warned nurses that an imminent strike over Ireland’s ongoing hospital trolley crisis “will not help anyone” as he insisted the problem is being addressed and “the numbers speak for themselves”.

Just before Health Minister Leo Varadkar announced the relocation of Limerick Maternity Hospital to Dooradoyle yesterday, nurses at the facility warned they would be protesting outside the hospital over staffing and resources.

DESPITE promises by the Government, Health Minister Leo Varadkar, and HSE management, the issue of overcrowding in the nation’s hospitals continues to worsen.

The head of the INMO, Liam Doran, has described the midwife to patient ratio at Portlaoise Hospital as "immoral".

Ambulance crews are queuing up at the emergency department of a major hospital and waiting up to two hours before they can unload patients and are released to return to duty.

Official budget measures of €666m at the Department of Health might not be enough to balance the books, according to senior sources in the department.

Midwives say unsafe staffing levels in maternity units around the country could lead to a repeat of the catastrophic systems failures that claimed the life of Savita Halappanavar.

Nurses and midwives are expected to pass an emergency motion for industrial action today, which will include the withdrawal of labour.

The Irish Medical Organisation has become the latest public service representative body to recommend its members reject the terms of Croke Park II.

The head of the HSE's Special Delivery Unit, Tony O'Brien, has said an unnamed hospital is facing significant fines for keeping a number of patients waiting for treatment for more than a year.

Nurses at Limerick's Mid Western Regional Hospital are said to be considering taking further industrial action after 11 hours of talks with management broke down last night.

IN an article entitled “Nurses’ concern over proposed hospital cuts” in yesterday’s newspaper (August 11), reference was made to Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation industrial organiser Noel Traynor.

The HSE chief executive said today that the health service needs to change, since the current system is still not working well enough.

The Health Service Executive is backing the call from student nurses and midwives to retain pay for fourth year trainees.

SENIOR trade union officials said it came as no surprise that the regional hospital in Limerick was ranked as one of the two worst performing hospitals in the country.

Over 10,000 people protested in Mullingar today against the proposed cutbacks planned for the Midlands Regional Hospital.

Talks are taking place at the Labour Relations Commission to avert strike action at the four Bon Secours Hospitals across the country.

Strike action at the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin will go ahead from Monday morning.

Strike action at the Mater Private Hospital will go ahead next Monday.

Talks to avert a strike at the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin get underway at the Labour Relations Commission today.

Nurses at the Midwestern Regional Hospital in Limerick will today step up their industrial action in protest against overcrowding at the hospital.

PUBLIC sector unions have said social partnership is dead and told their members to prepare themselves for strikes.

HUNDREDS of nurses and midwives are leaving the health service because they are burnt out, a study shows.

The Irish nurses organisation is on an apparent collision course with the Western health board over planned job cuts.