Cork University Hospital has had to cancel non-urgent surgeries because of the huge number of attendances at its emergency unit over the weekend.

The equivalent of one-in-12 people in Ireland are forced to wait for outpatient hospital appointments — including almost 10,000 people unable to access care for more than four years.

Tony O’Brien, who led a special unit charged with reducing hospital trolley numbers and waiting lists over the past year, is the new head of the HSE.

A major hospital is facing a fine of up to €1.75m over its repeated failure to cut the length of time patients have to wait for treatment.

NURSES at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick have accused management of intransigence on patient safety and warned more strike action is likely.