Nurses working in the acute mental health unit (AMHU) at Cork University Hospital (CUH) are considering industrial action in protest at being asked to triage patients who present out-of-hours.

An emergency meeting of mental health nurses due to transfer to a new €15m unit at Cork University Hospital (CUH) voted last night to request their union, Siptu, to ballot for industrial action.

Nearly four out of 10 people who died by suicide had been in contact with mental health services — most of them "actively" — according to research.