Nurses urge minister to halt cuts or wreak havoc

Nurses have urged Health Minister James Reilly not to force through yet more budget cutbacks, warning the policy “is threatening patient safety and creating unacceptable delays in cancer treatment”.

Speaking after the chief executives of four major hospitals wrote to the HSE making a similar plea, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said further cuts will cause havoc to an already damaged system.

The union said that since the recession began the health budget has been cut by €3.3bn, staff numbers have fallen by 10,000 and more than 2,000 beds shut.