Nurses raised fears about the safety of the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick yesterday as the number of patients on trolleys reached 45.

Staff at Cork’s largest hospital can no longer get a hot meal at weekends or out-of-hours as the staff canteen does not have sufficient personnel.

Seriously ill patients are being refused home help hours due to the HSE’s dire financial circumstances — with some terminally ill people receiving just four hours of support a week.

The HSE’s financial problems have surged to €300m, with hospitals €151m over- budget and the medical card scheme €92m in the red.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has said it is not interested in taking part in a "HSE bootcamp".

The use of expensive private care arrangements for children in the care of the HSE is to be reviewed as the executive seeks to reduce costs in childcare services by 7% in 2012.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation believes the HSE South will end up seeking a supplementary budget later in the year as it struggles to deliver against a backdrop of budget cuts and staff reductions.

Doctors working in the country’s maternity services have warned of a threat to the lives of mothers and babies if a predicted exodus of midwives, in an effort to avoid pension cuts, takes place next month.

The HSE has agreed to defer plans to axe 52 agency nurses in Cork University Hospital (CUH) and Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) in order to enter into up a week of negotiations with the Irish Nurses’ and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is holding urgent talks with HSE management in Cork today in an effort to reverse the decision to cut 52 agency nurses and midwives at two Cork hospitals.

Health chiefs intend cutting 52 agency nurses and midwives filling frontline vacancies in Cork, it was claimed today.

STAFF nurses have been asked not to take up the slack caused by the failure of agency nurses to report for duty, following the introduction yesterday of reduced pay rates for agency staff.

THE presence of 46 patients on trolleys at Cork University Hospital’s A&E department was a “record new low” in healthcare, it was claimed yesterday.

THE most recent HSE evaluations at Mallow General Hospital found that the north Cork hospital was reaching most of its targets.

THE last remaining public in-patient beds on the northside of Cork city will close within a year under plans to relocate orthopaedic services to the city centre.

THE numbers of Health Service Executive workers who retired in the mid-west last year increased by 53% to 292.

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

MEMBERS of the Irish Nurses’ Organisation have voted to carry out a one-hour work stoppage at a Co Cork hospital over cutbacks being imposed by the HSE.

ONE of the country’s largest voluntary hospitals is slashing staff allowances and asking workers to take unpaid leave as part of a raft of cost-cutting measures designed to save more than €4 million this year.

HEALTH service management have refused to publish a report into chronic capacity problems at Cork University Maternity Hospital.

Members of the Irish Nurses’ Organisation (INO) today threatened to escalate their row over shorter working hours.

A NURSES’ dispute over a shorter working week will escalate unless the first step towards a resolution is delivered today.

NURSES are planning to protest outside a west Cork hospital today over the failure to implement agreed new working hours.

CORK city mothers and their newborn babies are being left without crucial support from public health nurses (PHN) because of the recruitment freeze and a refusal to cover sick leave.

The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) has urged hospital chiefs to hold a public meeting to address the concerns raised by a consultant in relation to the transfer of breast cancer services to the Cork University Hospital.

Staff at Munster’s largest acute hospital were struggling to find beds for more than 30 patients lying on trolleys yesterday, according to the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO).

THE Irish Nurses Organisation has said that a “knife has been taken to critical services” at the south’s biggest hospital following the HSE’s announcement that staffing levels are to be frozen for financial reasons.

Final contingency plans were under way in medical facilities across Ireland tonight at thousands of nurses prepare for a another series of rolling work stoppages.

The Irish Nurses Organisation has rejected suggestions that the delay in opening the new maternity hospital in Cork was due to a demand for more money.

THE dispute between nursing unions and healthemployers worsened yesterday when more than 700 nurses took part in the first phase of planned nationwideindustrial action.

HEALTH Minister Mary Harney has intervened in a row over staffing levels which has threatened to scupper the opening of a new €75 million maternity hospital.

HOPES of a breakthrough in the midwives row threatening the opening of a €75 million maternity hospital were dashed last night.

HEALTH managers moved yesterday to ease fears over midwifes who have promised they will boycott the opening of the country’s newest maternity hospital over staffing levels.

Nursing staff at Cork University Hospital will meet management today in a bid to resolve the A&E crisis which saw more than 30 people waiting for beds on trolleys over the weekend.

MUNSTER’S newest accident and emergency unit is close to breaking point, nurses claimed last night.

NURSES at Cork University Hospital (CUH) have called for hospital management to explain how the €25 million allocated to cancer services has been spent in the past three years.

LETTERS and pledges of support have been pouring in for Dr Séamus O'Reilly since a letter he sent to the Tánaiste and the Health Service Executive (HSE) outlining the chronic state of cancer services was published earlier this week.

THERE has been a significant increase in the number of assaults at Kerry General Hospital.

OPPOSITION parties have called for the Tánaiste to personally respond to a letter from a hospital consultant in the south which they said “shows a health system out of control”.

NURSES close to burn-out gave hospital managers one week last night to solve a beds crisis in a new €30 million accident and emergency unit.

STAFF at the former Southern Health Board were overpaid almost €670,000 in the past three years, it has emerged.

PEOPLE living in the greater Cork area are 24 times more likely to end up being treated on a trolley in A&E department than their counterparts in Kerry, according to figures just released.

THE Irish Nurses’ Organisation yesterday predicted further chaos at Cork University Hospital, even if the A&E department is relocated to a new €24 million wing next month.

ONE THOUSAND more patients were treated on trolleys in Cork University Hospital's A&E department last year than in 2003.