Ms Angela Fitzgerald:

There are two aspects. One is the normal nursing requirements for somebody being treated in an emergency department, and the vacancy factor is 144. Deputy O'Reilly is quite right that over and above this a review was done by the Department. This stated if we accept in the short term that we have boarded patients, which are patients who are not yet able to get to a bed but who need to be nursed, the number is 107. I did the calculation and I know this is the number. It is based on an agreed methodology in the review, looking back at the average number of trolleys. As was said at a meeting last week, the challenge for us is we were not given the resources to put this in place. With regard to accepting the number, 107 has been accepted as the agreed number. It is our number. The agreed number for the normal running of the emergency department is 144 vacant posts. These have been supported.

Other measures under the emergency department agreement have been taken on senior decision-making in nursing. As committee members know, 26 patient flow emergency department nurses were agreed at assistant director of nursing level and they are being recruited. Grade 1 clinical nurse managers were agreed for every emergency department and grade 2 clinical nurse managers were agreed for a specific number of departments. All of these are either recruited or in process. The total number between these initiatives is approximately 216 posts. There is no disagreement between us and the INMO on the requirement to have adequate nursing. We have agreed a process on the 144. A specific measure on boarded patients identified through the agreement was recognised as requiring additional funding. At this time we do not have the resources to put this in place.