The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation say pay remains the "number one issue" ahead of their union conference later this month.

Nurses fear the HSE’s spending plan poses a “high risk” to the safe delivery of patient care.

There has been a 95% increase in the last decade in the number of patients on trolleys in hospitals around the country, according to the latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

Update 6.30pm: Nurses and midwives who are members of the INMO have deferred industrial action planned for next Tuesday, March 7.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has said they think the increase of €457m is not enough to expand and develop existing and new services across the country.

Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation at the University Maternity Hospital Limerick are to meet to consider a ballot for industrial action.

Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation will attend a hearing at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) this morning aimed at resolving a row over staffing levels at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.

The number of people on hospital trolleys has dropped slightly today.

A union representing nurses and midwives is asking for political parties to put their differences aside in an effort to fix the health service.

There is no sign of an end to the overcrowding crisis in hospitals.

Nurses will be balloted on new proposals aimed at tackling overcrowding over the next three weeks.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has denied it has timed strike action to coincide with a General Election campaign.

Nurses are to protest against “severe and damaging cuts” to intellectual disability services outside the Dáil next Tuesday.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has called for a shake-up of services for people with intellectual disabilities.

The HSE has moved to defend its package offered to nurses in the hopes of attracting them home.

IT is hard to argue with the call from the Irish Nurses and Midwives’ Organisation for at least an extra 1,000 public hospital beds to deal with lengthening waiting lists. Today there are more than 412,400 people waiting to see a consultant at an outpatient clinic for an initial consultation, this is the highest figure on record.

The number of patients on trolleys in Irish hospitals is still increasing, according to figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

An additional 35 beds are to be opened at University Hospital Galway in a bid to deal with overcrowding.

Nurses have said they are afraid a "major incident" will happen as a result of emergency department overcrowding.

The HSE's assistant national director of acute hospitals has said overcrowding in emergency departments is "unacceptable" and a "growing concern".

The State’s health watchdog is investigating a “critical incident” at Tallaght Hospital in Dublin.