Beaumont nurses and management to meet

Nurses and management at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital are due to hold talks today following serious overcrowding in the hospital's accident and emergency department over the weekend.

Up to 60 patients were waiting for treatment on trolleys at one stage on Sunday and all non-essential surgery was cancelled yesterday to help clear the backlog.

Today's talks are aimed at preventing a repeat of the problem, but the Irish Patients' Association has expressed pessimism about the meeting, saying the overcrowding issue can only be resolved by the Government.

Spokesman Stephen McMahon said the Government should ensure "that there's sufficient funding there for beds to be kept open, that patients can get access into our A&E departments and that this funding will be there for the frontline workers to be able to deliver the kind of care that we as a civilised society expect of our healthcare system".