Nurses work to rule over moving of A&E patients to wards

NURSES have begun a work to rule at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital over a dispute with the HSE on the implementation of new procedures at the hospital’s emergency & department whereby patients on trolleys are moved to wards to prevent overcrowding.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said the action was decided on after talks with management broke down.

As part of the work to rule, nurses are not attending hospital meetings, and withdrawing from all audits.

May Fogarty of INMO said: “Members of both unions (INMO and SIPTU) are very angry, that following our first meeting, local management proceeded to place even more trolleys and additional beds on in-patient wards and to close of access for admitted patients to the surgical day ward.

“This was despite an assurance given to members present at the meeting that the HSE does not agree with the placement of additional beds/trolleys on wards and that all other options must be explored prior to this occurring.”

The INMO said that 42 emergency department & patients were dispersed throughout in patient wards on Tuesday while they were awaiting beds.

Nurse leaders said the hospital emergency department & has had to deal with an increased workload with the centralisation of emergency cases to Limerick from Ennis and Nenagh.

The HSE said the hospital was very busy on Monday night and Tuesday morning, but the situation would have been more pressurised if a new hospital policy, which involves all sections of the hospital being deployed to take in & patients when the emergency ward begins to overcrowd.

A HSE spokesman said: “Since this new policy was introduced in early December, there has been a 54% reduction in the number of patients waiting unnecessarily in the emergency department before they get to an inpatient bed. The hospital is committed to addressing inefficient practices.”

The HSE said old practices must change and have called on the nurses to move with them.

It is believed that the introduction of a new system of dealing with overcrowding at the emergency department& is of major importance to the HSE who want to use it as a template for all major hospitals.