A&E crisis: Nurses maintain pressure on Harney

The Irish Nurses Organisation is to deliver thousands of postcards to the Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney today as part of its on-going campaign for action to tackle the A&E crisis.

The postcards have all been signed by people left waiting on trolleys in accident and emergency departments across the country in recent weeks and months.

The INO has been demanding action to tackle A&E overcrowding for years, but it says the problem is actually getting worse, despite government promises to prioritise the issue.

Ms Harney announced a 10-point action plan to alleviate the crisis in October 2004.

However, this appears to have had little effect on the ground, with the numbers waiting on trolleys reaching a new record of almost 500 on one day earlier this year.