There's growing concern at the level of violence experienced by nurses working on the frontline.
Almost 60% of violent incidents in the workplace last year were in healthcare - which also accounted for almost a quarter of all workplace injuries.
General Secretary of the Irish Nurses' and Midwives' Organisation, Phil Ní Sheaghdha says the figures reflect the increasingly difficult environment their members are working in:
"A lot of our members are reporting that they are dealing with a lot of aggression and frustration from patients from their relatives, in respect of the long wait times, and the uncomfortable circumstances in which they're waiting, and what they perceive as care that they should be getting much more promptly not being delivered".
