Talks are to resume today between the Health Service Executive and nursing unions in a bid to resolve a dispute which forced the cancellation of the opening of the new €75 million Cork University Maternity Hospital on Saturday.
The opening of the 144-bed hospital - to replace maternity hospitals at the Erinville, St Finbarr's and the Bons Secours - has now been rescheduled by the HSE for next Saturday, in the belief that a deal can be reached.
A HSE spokeswoman said expectant mothers due to attend clinics at the new hospital today and tomorrow had already been advised of changes, but anyone with clinics scheduled for later in the week should contact a helpline on 1850-742 628.
HSE South decided to defer the opening after a day of talks failed to reach agreement. This followed the rejection late on Friday night by more than 300 midwives and nurses, members of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO), of a revised HSE proposal on staffing.
The INO decision to reject that offer prompted strong condemnation from HSE chief executive Brendan Drumm and Minister for Health Mary Harney.
"It's an absolute disgrace that a €75 million state-of-the-art hospital funded by the taxpayer cannot be opened for mothers in Cork - the issue here isn't about safety but about money for individuals," Ms Harney told The Irish Times.
Ms Harney said hospital management, medical consultants and the HSE were all satisfied with staffing levels and she called on the nursing organisations to show leadership to their members to ensure the hospital opened immediately.
However, INO general secretary Liam Doran rejected Ms Harney's claim that the issue was about money and said that midwives and nurses had been consistent in their expression of concern over staffing levels.
"We categorically reject any suggestion the delay in opening the new hospital is due to a demand for money from midwives and nurses. It isn't about money, it never has been about money, and it won't be about money as we try to address it over the next week," he said.
The INO had sought relocation payments of €3,000 per midwife moving from St Finbarr's and the Erinville, as happened in a move between two Tipperary hospitals, but this was rejected by the Labour Court and had not featured in negotiations this weekend, he said.
Mr Doran confirmed that INO members had voted late on Friday night by 98.5pc to reject the revised HSE proposal after a similar vote to reject an earlier proposal to open 128 beds at the hospital with 315 qualified staff.
He said the INO had spent Friday afternoon in talks with the HSE and the revised proposal had been recommended for acceptance by INO negotiators, but midwives still had concerns about how staffing was to be implemented.
He explained that the revised proposal included assurances of a weekly review on staffing levels as the HSE worked to build up from an opening figure of 315 to 375 midwives and nurses with a commitment to an overall review after eight weeks.
The revised proposal included an assurance that up to 90 midwives filling some 60 whole time posts at the private Bons Secours hospital could move to the new hospital for up to eight weeks without any prejudice to their final decision on moving.
Cork University Hospital group manager Tony McNamara said both doctors and midwifery managers were satisfied with the proposed staffing levels.
"I think the problem is a lack of understanding on the detail of the staff allocation. We're not opening everything so we don't need 375 midwives and nurses at the outset - we're opening 128 beds with the staff available to us, which is 315," he said.
If staff did not co-operate next Saturday, management would have to withdraw all offers made to date, he said.
