The HSE is still refusing to say how many extra nurses and midwives it plans to hire this year, even though these figures should have been published last November.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), the HSE has again sought to delay publication of its funded workforce plan, which sets out how many nurses and midwives are to be hired.

This plan was to be published in November 2017, as part of an agreement secured by the INMO. However, it has yet to be published and another delay is now expected.

"Delay tactics like this pose high risks for patient care. We're more than halfway through 2018, and the HSE still hasn't confirmed how many new nurses and midwives they plan to hire this year. This is simply the opposite of best practice," commented INMO general secretary, Phil Ni Sheaghdha.

The issue has been referred to the Workplace Relations Commission, but there has so far been no progress ‘after several meetings'.

This will be one of the main issues discussed at an emergency INMO executive meeting at the end of August.

Meanwhile, according to the INMO's latest Trolley Wait figures, over 1,800 patients were left waiting on trolleys in hospitals nationwide this week (August 13-17), with the highest number occuring on Wednesday the 15th (413).