Nurses to vent anger on overcrowding crisis

Nursing staff at Cork University Hospital will meet management today in a bid to resolve the A&E crisis which saw more than 30 people waiting for beds on trolleys over the weekend.

Figures from the Irish Nurses Organisation revealed 35 people were waiting to be moved to a ward, with only one nurse looking after them.

Patsy Doyle, INO industrial relations officer, said: “Our members are angry that their management has ignored all the signs of foreseeable risk, which have ignited over the weekend, i.e. numbers of patients on trolleys on Friday evening - 32, on Saturday – 33 and yesterday – 30.”

Ms Doyle urged management to invoke the major incident plan by closing A&E to new presentations, cancelling elective admissions, appointing a complaints officer 24/7 in the A&E department and transferring suitable patients to other Cork hospitals within the network.

In the 18 months since the state of the art facility has been open trolley figures have peaked at 37.

“The situation in Cork University Hospital today reaffirms the long held view of the INO that while every new A&E Department is welcomed, it is not an adequate or acceptable substitute for additional beds which are so obviously required,” Ms Doyle said.