Nurses worked 25 hours at weekend with four hours rest

THEATRE nurses at Limerick Regional Hospital, who have been accused of time-wasting by the Health Service Executive Mid-Western Area, yesterday went public on the huge demands of their work.

Four theatre nurses gave a detailed account of their roster last weekend during which they worked 25 hours, getting just over four hours rest.

One of the four, Anne Fitzgibbon, said: “This would not be untypical of a weekend roster.”

They dealt with eight patients having surgery, six of them emergency cases.

A spokesperson for the INO said this roster is not unusual and gives the true picture of what theatre nurses’ work entails.

The HSE has claimed that 1,800 additional operations were being prevented from being carried out at the hospital due to unofficial tea breaks and nurses not working their full contracted hours.

The HSE claimed 70 of 76 theatre nurses arrive late for work and finish early each day.

The executive claims that the equivalent of 9.2 nursing jobs could be created if current practices at the hospital were abolished.

Four theatre nurses at the hospital, Anne Fitzgibbon, Mary McNamara, Gabrielle Lynch and Caitriona O’Kelly Kennedy yesterday gave a detailed breakdown of their roster on Saturday and Sunday last, which they said was nothing out of the ordinary.

They said: “We hope this account helps to clarify misrepresentations in recent coverage and the public now have a true understanding of the dedicated, professional care given by the theatre nurses at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick.”

The four nurses were rostered from 3pm on Saturday, January 14 to 4pm on Sunday, January 15.

Their account of that roster is as follows: “When we took over duty from the previous team at 3pm, there was one patient in recovery room (post surgery), one patient in theatre (undergoing surgery) and four patients in wards (awaiting emergency surgery). As the night progressed another patient was admitted through the Accident and Emergency department for unplanned surgery. By the time all these patients were transferred safely to their wards, it was 3am. As there were no further patients awaiting treatment, the theatres were closed and we, the nurses, retired having worked 12 hours.”

But their rest did not last long.

“At 5.15 am we were called to return to theatre for an emergency procedure which lasted until 7.30am. We returned to our beds and two hours later at 9.30am, we resumed duty. Our day finished at 4pm - 25 hours after commencement.”

Mary Fogarty of the INO said theatre nurses are on call for long periods and often do not get proper rest due to the amount of calls they get during a roster.

She said this work does not lend itself to “time and motion” type studies because of the unpredictability of the work.

The INO, along with SIPTU representatives, is due to meet with HSE management in Limerick today to discuss working hours by theatre nurses at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital.