Chance to avert chaos in hospitals

TODAY'S crunch meeting of the Labour Relations Commission represents the best chance of averting chaos in the country's hospitals.

If junior doctors and health board management fail to make progress in resolving the dispute over rostering, more patients will be hit as the strike at Waterford regional hospital resumes and the dispute spreads to Tullamore hospital.

The nub of this row concerns the hours worked by non-consultative doctors and how much they should be paid. According to doctors, new rosters are militating against vital training provided by consultants during normal working hours.