Nurses' claims on empty beds 'misleading'

NURSES have been accused of misleading people by saying there are more empty hospital beds than patients on trolleys.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) said many of the closed beds referred to by the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) were in hospitals that had no A&E departments.

"Claims made by the INO are completely misleading," the HSE said. "Having reviewed the list, for example, in the eastern region, these are not acute hospital beds."