Closed medical ward reopens

A MEDICAL ward which remained closed last week at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital over staffing shortages reopened yesterday.

Up to 30 electives surgical procedures had to be deferred due to the continued closure of 1C.

A spokesman for the HSE said yesterday: “Ward 1C has reopened today and all 17 beds are available.”

A surge of absenteeism was the cause according to management.

The HSE alleged absenteeism among the 700 nurses at the hospital was running at 50 per day.

However, the INO claimed that absenteeism was around 20 nurses a day and many of these were on maternity leave or long-term illness leave.

The HSE also hit out at a lack of flexibility in dealing with a staff shortage in 1C and said it refused to accept that nurses could not have been moved from other areas so that priority could have been given to acute patient care.

Ward 1C closes most weekends with the discharge of short-term surgical patients. However last week it could not reopen as nursing management said they could not sources sufficient nurses.

The INO claimed a staffing shortage arose, due to failure of the HSE to approve four additional nursing positions which were necessary to retain services at current levels.

Mary Fogarty, the INO’s industrial relations officer in the Mid-West, said these position did not come within the HSE recruitment embargo.