The Director for Acute Hospitals and Chairman of the Emergency Task Force in the HSE Dr. Tony O’Connell has resigned this week and will return to his native Australia after holding the position for nine months. The news is a major blow to the HSE as it comes in a week when trolley figures – the number of patients waiting for beds – reached worrying highs across the country. On Monday, January 5^th, there were 50 people waiting for beds in Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, with 41 in St Vincent’s University and 39 in St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny. Elsewhere in the country, Mayo General had 34 patients waiting for beds while the Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar had 33. A further ten hospitals had more than 20 patients on trolleys yesterday. The Irish Nursing and Midwives Organisations (INMO) said that Monday’s figures were the highest it has recorded and warned that there could be more than 600 patients waiting on beds unless something is done. The Midlands Regional Hospital in Mullingar.  Overall, there are currently 563 patients waiting for admission according to the INMO and this comes after the government promised never to have more than 569 people on trolleys. The 569 figure looks set to be broken this week if trends continue in the same vein. Protests are now being planned for Wednesday, January 14^th, between 12pm and 1.30pm. The main protest will be held at the gates of Dáil Eireann as TDs return from Christmas break. “This is a national emergency,” said INMO General Secretary, Liam Doran. “This is a health service crisis which must be addressed.” Meanwhile it has been reported today that nurses at Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital will serve notice of industrial action and begin a work-to-rule on January 27^th. The INMO has warned that further industrial action is “inevitable” due to overcrowding at the emergency department.