INO conference: Knife taken to critical services, says union

THE Irish Nurses Organisation has said that a “knife has been taken to critical services” at the south’s biggest hospital following the HSE’s announcement that staffing levels are to be frozen for financial reasons.

The INO says agency staff are not being hired anymore at Cork University Hospital (CUH), nursing staff are not being replaced when on leave and overtime has been curbed since the September 4 circular.

They also alleged there would be two fewer A&E nursing staff at CUH from next Monday following the order to stay within budgetary constraints.

INO industrial relations officer, Patsy Doyle said: “A&E, intensive care, dialysis and theatre staffing are being savaged. A knife has been taken to critical services. Patients are being put at huge risk. The cutbacks are far beyond what is required by the circular and so we can only presume that CUH are way over budget.”

The INO is due to meet CUH Director of Nursing next week to discuss the alleged scaling back of services.

Earlier this year, the INO presented hospital management with a survey of their members which showed high levels of dissatisfaction with their workload and high stress levels.

Ninety-one per cent of the 300 nurses who responded to the ‘Survey on Conditions of Work for Nurses’ said they suffered high levels of stress. Over half said they had taken sick leave due to stress, excessive workload, personal health or hospital acquired infections.

“Nurses reported that they were being asked to follow unsafe instructions, were operating in an unsafe environment and two-thirds said they had considered leaving the hospital in the past nine months. Up to 80% don’t believe they are respected by other disciplines,” said Ms Doyle.