576 patients are being treated on a trolley or chair today according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation

Over 9,635 patients have been treated in hospital without a bed this September according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation have today announced that they intend to ballot their members over the HSE’s recruitment moratorium and the impact it is having on staffing across the public health service.

As you are aware the HSE has now imposed strict curtailments in respect of recruitment and the filling of posts. They have also issued instructions to the HSE regions that the posts not physically occupied in December 2023 can no longer be considered vacant positions and are cut. No consultation has taken place with healthcare unions on this. When this announcement was made in July all unions objected and raised the issue as a disputed plan, yet there has been no change to the HSE's position despite all health sector unions opposing this and raising concerns for staff safety and by extension ability to provide safe care to patients...

As hostilities in Gaza continue, the neighbouring West Bank has also faced a surge in violence over the past month. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), around 73,000 women in the West Bank are currently pregnant, with more than 8,000 expected to give birth in the coming month as the violence threatens to spill over further. With hospitals overwhelmed and roads blocked by checkpoints, providing safe care has become nearly impossible....

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has welcomed the publication of the independent Investigation into University Hospital Limerick carried out by former Chief Justice, Mr. Frank Clarke. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation complied fully with Justice Clarke’s investigation and other system reviews that took place prior to his investigation...