Up to 200 nurses and other hospital staff are protesting outside the Dáil over the continuing overcrowding crisis in hospital emergency departments.

The demonstration comes ahead of work to rule action by nurses in hospitals around the country in the coming weeks.

The rally was organised over what the INMO describe as the appalling overcrowding of our hospitals.

The demonstration, which is being supported by SIPTU, the ICTU and other Trade Unions, began at 12 o'clock - outside the Kildare street entrance - of the Dáil.

Moira Wynne, an Emergency Department nurse who was at the demonstration today spoke to Lunchtime with Jonathan Healy about what the message was from the protest:

David Hughes, Deputy General Secretary of the INMO organised today's protest.

He says there are patient flow plans in place at hospitals to free up space, but overcrowding makes it impossible to keep those systems running:

Liam Doran, General Secretary of the INMO, had this message for the governments ahead of today's event:

This morning, INMO members at Naas General Hospital said they were going to mount a work to rule on the 4th of February.

They join nurses at Beaumont Hospital, University Hospital Galway and the Midwestern Hospital Group - comprising of four hospitals.

Meanwhile the Health Minister says he hopes that a small number of problem hospitals can be fixed, once and for all.