A&E closure - Idle unit a monument to incompetence

The Accident and Emergency facilities at Cork University Hospital were closed for a time yesterday by the consultant in charge, because of the ongoing shortage of nurses there. At that point there were 30 patients on trolleys.

The department refused to admit all but emergency cases.

The department re-opened in the afternoon after several hours. New A&E facilities were officially opened at the hospital by Micheál Martin and Mary Harney, but these have been idle for almost a year, because the hospital has been unable to recruit the extra staff to run the facilities.