NURSES in the emergency department at Limerick’s biggest hospital have voted unanimously for industrial action over staff shortages and the closure of 25 beds at the hospital.

NURSES have urged Health Minister James Reilly to publicly affirm the high quality of patient care in Roscommon Hospital.

THE silly season has arrived, and already I have a strong feeling that I must have a hearing test carried out, because clearly I am hearing things that cannot possibly be true.

NURSES across the midwest last year received a total of €2.7 million in overtime payments.

NURSES reported sharp rises in the number of patients on trolleys in three of the country’s largest acute hospitals yesterday.

NURSES have begun a work to rule at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital over a dispute with the HSE on the implementation of new procedures at the hospital’s emergency & department whereby patients on trolleys are moved to wards to prevent overcrowding.

NURSES believe their working week can be reduced to 35 hours without any cost to the Exchequer.

NURSES fighting health cutbacks have called off a work stoppage at a west Cork hospital today to ballot on new proposals.

NURSES hit back at the Health Minster Mary Harney yesterday after she accused them of holding the Government to ransom in a staffing row which has seen a €5 million emergency department lie idle for more than a year.

NURSES have accused the Health Service Executive (HSE) of reneging on work commitments for the state’s graduate nurses.

NURSES said yesterday they would give the Labour Court a last chance to deal with their pay claim before they considered the “nuclear option” of industrial action.

NURSES rightly feel betrayed for trusting their leadership to defer industrial action last summer in the vague hope that the benchmarking process would recommend in their favour.

NURSES staged a sit-in at a major acute hospital in Dublin last night after management warned that more than half of the members of their strike committee would not be paid unless they returned to their normal clinical duties.

AS NURSES announced the 52 hospitals and mental health services to be hit by work stoppages next week, the HSE warned of cancellations in elective surgery and disruptions in in-patient services as the authority concentrated on providing emergency and critical care.

NURSES have given the Government three weeks to meet their demands on increased pay and a shorter working week or face strike action in the run-up to the general election.

NURSES yesterday served 21 days’ strike notice on the Health Service Executive (HSE) after voting overwhelmingly to fight for better pay and working hours.

NURSES will be able to prescribe painkillers, antibiotics and other medicines later this year under plans unveiled yesterday by Health Minister Mary Harney.

NURSES have hit back at the Health Service Executive (HSE) to defend their colleagues after the HSE issued a statement accusing them of preventing up to 1,800 operations taking place through their “irregular” work practices.

NURSES hid critically ill patients from an overzealous surgeon dubbed “Dr Death”, claiming he would stalk the intensive care unit searching for people to operate on, an inquiry in the Australian city of Brisbane was told yesterday.

NURSES claim a threat to withhold a pay increase due next month is linked to their accident and emergency protests despite health service managers’ denials.

NURSES have faced intimidation from some hospital bosses over their protests to highlight the state of A&E wards, it was claimed yesterday.

Evelyn Ring

Eoin English

NURSES last night rowed in behind hospital consultations in advance of next week’s industrial action over an insurance indemnity dispute.

NURSES have warned of a TB threat if patients treated in a specialist clinic are transferred to already overcrowded general hospitals.

NURSES are being used to prevent a crisis in midwifery care at some of the country’s largest maternity hospitals, the Irish Nursing Organisation said yesterday.

NURSES at a second maternity hospital have warned that the health of mothers and babies is at serious risk because of a staffing crisis.

NURSES are calling on a Dáil committee to investigate a “disastrous” new psychiatric unit, which they say will cost taxpayers about €750,000 to rectify.

NURSES representatives have pointed the finger of blame at consultants for the latest A&E crisis to grip the country's major hospitals.

Public health nurses are meeting today to agree a timetable for industrial action.