Nurses are calling on the HSE to ‘re-think' the way in which emergency services are provided in Cork city.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), there were 31 patients on trolleys in the emergency department (ED) of Mercy University Hospital on Thursday morning.

However, it described the increasing numbers of patients attending the hospital in the last six months as ‘inevitable', given the closure of emergency services at the South Infirmary Victoria Hospital and Mallow General.

A reduction in bed capacity in Cork city is further compounding the problem. Furthermore, plans to curtail ED services at Mercy University Hospital during certain hours will also add to the problem, the organisation insisted.

As a result, it is calling on the HSE to re-think the way in which services are being provided in the area, as patients and staff are having to ‘suffer the consequences of these decisions'.

"There is also a need to look at the provision of step down facilities as it is apparent that the number of beds being provided in that regard is insufficient. We estimate that up to 98 beds have been taken out of the system between the Mercy University Hospital and the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital in recent years," commented INMO industrial relations officer, Michael Dineen.

The INMO is calling on the HSE to ‘re-open all closed beds in the city'.