Hospitals accused of false figures to drive down A&E figures

Nurses have accused hospital bosses of massaging trolley counts after claiming a leading facility is giving "false" figures to drive down the official number of people waiting for care.

The allegation came as Health Minister Leo Varadkar apologised for putting patients in danger and said his emergency department taskforce will meet next week due to the urgency of the problems — but insisted he did not “drop the ball” by going on holidays as the situation emerged.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation spokeswoman Patsy Doyle said she uncovered evidence of “false” trolley figures after making an unscheduled early morning stop at Cork University Hospital.