THERE has been a rise this morning in the number of patients awaiting admission at Letterkenny University Hospital.
There are 22 people without a bed at LUH today, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), who appear to be on the brink of strike action.
The figure for LUH is a sharp increase, of almost 60 per cent, from yesterday when 14 people were reported to have no bed.
Of the 22 awaiting admission today, 10 are on Emergency Department trollies.
This comes after talks at the Workplace Relations Commission between health service unions and management on the crisis in recruiting and retaining nurses adjourned last evening.
In a statement, INMO General Secretary Liam Doran said that, in the absence of a radical change from management, the union’s council is likely to sanction strike action when it next meets on Monday.
Shortly before Christmas, INMO members backed industrial action, by a margin of 90%, amid frustration at understaffing and overcrowding.
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