Nurse deal to hit planned surgeries

A new peace deal accepted by nurses in hospital emergency departments will see planned surgery being cancelled earlier and more often, it has emerged.

An escalation policy will be triggered when the equivalent of 30% of the bays in an emergency department are occupied by admitted patients.

General secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation Liam Doran said it was not possible in many hospitals at present to do two streams of work.