Updated 17.15

Nurses have agreed to defer Thursday’s strike in seven hospitals’ Emergency Departments.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation says it’s to give them time to ballot their members anew on proposals aimed at reducing overcrowding.

This is following an made earlier today that has been reached between the HSE and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation on Emergency Department overcrowding.

The INMO says the new proposals put the delivery of the agreement centre stage.

It’s after agreement was reached at the Workplace Relations Commission in the early hours of this morning.

The HSE says these proposals, aimed at reducing overcrowding, will lead to visible changes in hospitals.

General Secretary of the INMO Liam Doran says they want to see action immediately;

It follows 19 hours of talks at the Workplace Relations Commission.

The deal includes a number of provisions to deal with trolley numbers and overcrowding - and both sides will return to the WRC in a month's time to check what progress has been made.

The INMO will meet later today to discuss the planned strike by nurses at seven hospitals around the country on Thursday.

Health Correspondent with The Irish Independent Eilish O'Regan says it will be called off:

"It was always very very unlikely that any of these strikes would go ahead because of the potential consequences for nurses. But at the same time it was their best weapon in terms of negotiation. So you can take it that when the Executive Committee of the INMO meets today, they will defer the strikes."

Listen to that interview with Breakfast here: