With a backlog of more than 2,300 nurses awaiting registration, nursing home operators have called on the health minister to put the crisis top of the agenda at today’s meeting of the Emergency Department (ED) Taskforce.

An INMO senior executive has warned that the HSE’s new nursing recruitment drive could face problems if a staffing crisis and backlog of applications can’t be cleared.

The row over price hikes in registration fees for nurses has intensified, with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland accusing nursing unions of making confusing and misleading statements.