The President of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has warned of a rise in assaults on nurses, saying overcrowding in hospitals guarantees "adverse reactions".
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Karen McGowan said this issue had been raised at the union’s annual conference in Co Sligo this week, with the topic of health and safety dominating discussions.
Figures provided by the HSE show that since the beginning of 2021, more than 3,400 nurses have reported violent incidents.
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Ms McGowan said it is "no surprise" to hear that there had been an increase in assaults on nurses, particularly in emergency departments.
She described overcrowding as "challenging" for patients and staff, and said a lack of space can create aggression and increase people's anxiety.
She said they have been sounding the alarm on overcrowding for some time, and that mortality rates for patients are higher when they are treated in overcrowded departments.
"It is a recipe for disaster", Ms McGowan said, adding that the pressures increased during the Covid-19 pandemic and the number of assaults has risen.
"I am an ED nurse. We know what overcrowding is and it has definitely got worse."
Ms McGowan said the INMO is calling on the Government to invest heavily in healthcare and investigate emergency departments.
She said conditions are "horrendous" with patients on trolleys, adding that "corridor nursing" is atrocious.
The issue of hospital overcrowding dominated the conference yesterday, with the INMO warning that the situation is probably worse now than at any time before.
This is the first in-person delegate conference for the INMO in three years.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is due to address delegates tomorrow.
Today's INMO figures show 428 patients are waiting for beds in hospitals around the country this morning, with 355 in emergency departments.
Ninety-three patients are on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick, while 61 people are waiting for a bed at Cork University Hospital.
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, said emergency department performance is under constant review by his department, through ongoing engagement with the HSE.
Mr Donnelly said he has witnessed the challenging conditions for both patients and frontline staff in emergency departments throughout the country during recent hospital visits, as the health system experiences record numbers attending EDs.
He said that while there was a welcome reduction in the number of patients in hospital with Covid-19, the ongoing presence of such patients, the continued requirement to provide separate Covid and non-Covid pathways, and staff absences due to Covid, were continuing to put pressure on the capacity and operation of emergency departments across the health system.
The minister said the HSE is actively working with hospitals and hospital groups to mitigate the situation.
He said the HSE is continuing to utilise capacity in private hospitals and is reviewing elective care to reduce pressure on bed capacity.
Additional reporting by Fergal Bowers
