Nurses are calling for the implementation of a major emergency plan at University Hospital Limerick, in order to ‘bring about a level of control and safety at the Emergency Department (ED)'.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), at 8am on Monday morning, almost 50 patients, who had been admitted in the previous 24-48 hours, were waiting on trolleys in the ED as no beds were available for them.

This was described as ‘catastrophic' by staff at the hospital, who appealed to the Health Minister, Leo Varadkar, to take ‘urgent action'.

"There is no doubt that this level of overcrowding is causing poor outcomes for patients and a totally unacceptable work environment for staff. An urgent and implementable action plan is required, with robust management of same, if this hospital is to survive the winter without inflicting more harm on patients,' commented INMO industrial relations officer, Mary Fogarty.

She called for a two-step approach to help solve this problem.

"Firstly the activation of the major emergency plan, once the level of overcrowding peaks and secondly, immediate funding to open 30 additional beds."

The INMO noted that if €2 million was made available by the Minister, ‘an additional 30 beds can be in place very shortly, in time for expected winter pressures'.