Nurses facing 'yet another winter' in 'dangerous' environments, warns INMOMuireann DuffyNurses and midwives are facing into "yet another winter where they are left in impossible and often dangerous care environments," according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO)Marking World Patient Safety Day, the union said 5,210 patients, including 100 children, have been left without a hospital bed since the start of September. The INMO warned that persistent overcrowding in Irish hospitals is impacting patient care, and called for the HSE to attend the coming week's Emergency Department taskforce meeting "with renewed and workable solutions to reducing overcrowding". "Our members are reporting that significant overcrowding coupled with unmet recruitment and retention targets are making it impossible to provide safe care to those who need it most. "Year-on-year we are having the same conversations about the very real impact hospital overcrowding is having on patient safety. "Senior decision-makers must prioritise the de-escalation of overcrowded areas and remove these very real barriers to providing safe care to patients in our hospitals," she added.

Source: Irish Independent September 17, 2023 14:06 UTC