A local Senator believes additional recruitment in primary care services will reduce levels of overcrowding in Emergency Departments.
Aisling Dolan was responding to recent HIQA reports which stated Ireland's health system is under 'unprecedented strain' and compromises the dignity and respect of patients.
Senator Dolan says while the HSE winter plan includes a recruitment drive for ED consultants she feels nurses could also be upskilled to act as advanced nurse practitioners
Speaking on the Joe Finnegan she stated primary care services and minor injury units have a role to play with increased staffing.
"The challenge is we have come through over 2 years of COVID, there is a lot of exhaustion and burnout and it is hard, because we need to be bringing in more people. We need more nurses and more graduates. We need to be looking at upskilling our nurses so they can act as CNMs, as Advanced Nurse Practitioners, that we can get more staff into our primary care centres".
