Incentives needed to solve staff shortages, say nurses

OVERCROWDING is set to continue in Dublin hospitals without Government incentives to address nursing staff shortages, nursing chiefs have warned.

Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) industrial relations director David Hughes said the persistent A&E crisis would remain as long as staff shortages kept beds closed.

"The usual question is what efforts are being made to retain nurses. There is a massive problem of retention. It means beds closed in 2003 cannot be re-opened because the staff are gone. It shows no forward planning and total adherence by the health boards to the Government cap on recruitment to the health services," Mr Hughes said.