Pictures released first in the Irish Examiner show patients sleeping on the floor of the Psychiatric Unit in University Hospital Waterford.

Overcrowding at the psychiatric unit of University Hospital Waterford is not a recent issue.

Concerns that Waterford University Hospital is being left behind within the wider group are widespread, hears Catherine Shanahan.

A meeting to consider the future of an acute psychiatric unit where pictures emerged of patients lying on the floor is to take place in the next number of weeks.

The Psychiatric Nurses Association has suspended this evening's planned industrial action by 6,000 of its members.

Industrial action by psychiatric nurses will have “a very significant impact” on vulnerable patients across the country, the HSE has warned.

Industrial action by psychiatric nurses will have “a very significant impact” on vulnerable patients across the country, the HSE has warned.

An overtime ban involving 6,000 psychiatric nurses will restart from Wednesday.

Ambulance workers from the Psychiatric Nurses Association say they have been left with no choice but to go on strike.

This is the second 24-hour ambulance branch strike throughout the country, involving paramedics, advanced paramedics and emergency medical technicians. It will remain in place until 2pm on Saturday.

The country's psychiatric nurses have deferred their industrial action.

Three Munster-based acute public hospitals were worst affected by overcrowding in May, it has emerged.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) maintains that the recognition of other trade unions except Siptu, which represents frontline staff, would undermine work relations.

A 24-hour long strike is to be held by more than 500 ambulance personnel nationwide on Friday in an ongoing row over union recognition.

Psychiatric nurses have been offered a new pay contract with the HSE.

PNA General Secretary Peter Hughes says it is hard to understand how the HSE solution to the ongoing staffing row is to order a new embargo on recruitment.

Three in five nurses have voted to accept Labour Court proposals aimed at resolving a dispute that triggered three days of strike action earlier this year.

Mental health services are at crisis point as staffing shortages are expected to worsen, a psychiatric watchdog has warned.

Ambulance personnel nationwide are to go on strike for 24 hours in a further escalation of a row over union representation with the HSE.

The PNA National Ambulance Branch is meeting later to discuss the next steps in their ongoing dispute over union recognition.

Ambulance workers will hold a fifth day of industrial action at stations across the country today.

Up to 500 ambulance staff nationwide are to hold a fifth strike tomorrow in a stand-off with the HSE over their right to be represented by a trade union of their choice.

Evelyn Ring Post-natal care for mothers in the country’s maternity hospitals is not up to standard because of staff shortages, a maternity care expert has said .

Post-natal care for mothers in the country's maternity hospitals is not up to standard because of staff shortages, a maternity care expert has claimed.

As talks at the Labour Court over nurses' pay and conditions adjourned until next week the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation warns that it has only suspended its strike action, not called it off.

Ambulance personnel from the Psychiatric Nurses Association have announced plans to hold a protest outside the Dáil later this month.

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.

Further ambulance strikes are likely if the HSE continues to refuse to recognise the right of more than 500 personnel to be represented by the union of their choice, the Psychiatric Nurses Association has warned.

A two-day strike by ambulance personnel members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association gets underway this morning.

A two-day strike tomorrow and Friday by ambulance personnel belonging to the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), which is in dispute with the HSE over union recognition, will be going ahead.

More than 500 ambulance service personnel belonging to the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) will be on strike again today as the dispute over trade union representation rights intensifies.

Talks between the Psychiatric Nurses Association(PNA) and HSE bosses have ended for the night.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has said that it has heard nothing so far from the HSE that would lead it to averting its upcoming strike.

The failure of the Labour Court to make any formal intervention in the nurses’ dispute with the Government to prevent them taking strike action in the first place is worrying, particularly in light of the overtime ban by psychiatric nurses and yesterday’s protest by 500 general practitioners.