INMO wants 1 nurse per 4 patients

Around 8,000 additional nursing staff would need to be recruited to meet the target set by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation of one nurse for every four patients in busy hospital wards.

At the launch of its safe staffing campaign yesterday, union leader Liam Doran said the first step would be to restore the 5,000 nursing and midwifery posts shed over the last five years.

“I think it would be about 5,000 and I think 3,000 more then when you look at all the various areas, but that’s the totality, across all healthcare areas,” he said.