Additional nurses and midwives are needed to staff the planned new hospital beds,
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says the 472 new acute beds for Cork hospitals are just one piece of the puzzle as extra staff are also needed
The acute beds are to come on stream between now and 2031 in an effort to tackle the ongoing hospital overcrowding crisis
Speaking to RedFM News Colm Porter of the INMO in Cork says working conditions also need to be improved to attract nursing staff into the HSE:
"Newly recruited staff and graduate staff are coming into hospitals that are massively overcrowded and this doesn't paint a picture of a health service that people may want to come back to. So in the first instance, the embargo needs to be lifted. And then secondly the issues related to overcrowd need to be addressed as a matter of urgency."
