The Nurses' Dispute - The Midlands

The work of reducing the backlog of out-patient treatments in the Midlands will begin today in hospitals in Laois, Offaly, Westmeath…

The work of reducing the backlog of out-patient treatments in the Midlands will begin today in hospitals in Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford.

The Midlands Health Board has written to out-patients due to attend clinics today asking them to attend if the strike had ended.

Last night, nurses who were rostered for duty went back to work but it is expected it will take at least three weeks before normal service is resumed.

The secretary of the Tullamore strike committee, Ms Kay Kennedy, welcomed the recommendations as a victory for nurses. "I have had the benefit of a full briefing from the executive in Dublin and it is quite positive, especially for the staff nurses."

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She said an information briefing will take place tomorrow night in Tullamore.

Earlier, there had been some confusion when, in the early afternoon, the deal was rejected out of hand by the chairwoman of the strike committee, Ms Kay Garvey.

She said many nurses were very depressed about the outcome of the dispute and there was little in the package for them.

However, Ms Kennedy said there had been confusion about the offer but she believed it would be acceptable when fully explained.