A&E nurses threaten to strike

THE Labour Relations Commission will hold a special meeting later this week to discuss the A&E crisis in the eastern region.

The meeting was sought by the Irish Nurses Organisation after nurses threatened to strike because of the chaos in A&E wards. Hospitals were forced to ask the public to stay away from emergency wards on Monday night because of a chronic shortage of hospital beds.

"Nurses are concerned that the overcrowding is dangerous for both the patients and the staff and the real solution is more beds," INO deputy general secretary Dave Hughes said.