Nurses preparing to graduate this year will benefit from measures being taken to ease overcrowding in Irish hospitals.
Newspaper reports today suggest they're in line for permanent job offers.
The Health Minister insists there's a plan in place to alleviate overcrowding in hospital emergency departments..
After meeting ED nurses yesterday, Leo Varadkar said the most important thing to do was to implement that plan with the 100 million euro set aside to fund it.
It includes the opening of 300 more hospital beds from November, and extending the range of home care packages to help older people out of acute hospitals more quickly.
According to the Irish Independent today, the go ahead has now also been given for hospital managers to offer permanent jobs to this year's 15 hundred nursing graduates.
It comes as the executive of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation sits down to consider balloting members on industrial action over the crisis – they're demanding 1000 extra beds at least to alleviate the pressure.
