Nurses protest over safety and staffing

NURSES in hospitals around the country are continuing their protests over staffing problems, safety and general working conditions.

At St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, nurses in the radiology department have voted unanimously in favour of industrial action over what they believe are excessive on-call demands and difficult working conditions.

In Kerry, psychiatric nurses protested outside Tralee General hospital yesterday to highlight their plight. They want garda escorts for difficult patients to be suspended, until a number of key issues have been addressed by the Southern Health Board.

Top of their agenda are the installation of personal alarms as well as improved staff training at St Finan’s hospital.

Bringing patients in fire doors at the hospital is just not on, according to Pat Murphy, branch secretary of the north Kerry guild of the Psychiatric Nurses Association.

Reception arrangements at the hospital must also be improved for the wellbeing of patients and staff alike, he said. While almost 300,000 has been spent on the hospital, major staff concerns have not been resolved.

Meanwhile, the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) has also given the South Eastern Health Board seven days notice that it will step up its industrial action at Our Lady’s Hospital in Cashel, Co Tipperary, unless staffing levels at the hospital are boosted.

Nurses in Cashel have been on a work-to-rule since October 14. The health board accepts that staffing levels are inadequate but says it can’t boost the service because of budgetary constraints.

One of the grave concerns of INO members at the hospital is the proposal to place children on an adult ward. Nurses say this could put children at risk.

“Our members have been left with no option but to escalate their industrial action,” said Tony Fitzpatrick, the INO’s industrial relations officer. “We have no wish to be involved in industrial action. However, they have been left with no other option in order to bring about adequate staffing levels conducive to the delivery of quality patient care.”