Nurses cease work to rule

A WORK-to-rule by nurses at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital has been called off, the INMO (Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation) and SIPTU confirmed.

The work-to-rule, continuing for the past two months, resulted in a decision by hospital management to transfer emergency patients to wards when the emergency department was overcrowded.

Both unions yesterday wrote to management at the hospital telling him their actions were now ceasing.

The unions said their decision has been taken to allow for the implementation of a four week de-escalation plan which was proposed at a meeting between the unions and the HSE last Thursday.

At a meeting of union members it was agreed to suspend the work-to-rule to allow for the implementation of this plan, which is designed to alleviate pressure on the wards.

SIPTU’s national nursing official Louise O’Reilly said: “The chronic over-crowding in the Mid-West Regional Hospital requires a hospital and health service-wide response and this pilot programme ensures that this will now happen.”

Mary Fogarty, industrial relations officer with the INMO, said nurses are fully committed to all initiatives to free up patient flow and to reduce waiting times in the emergency department.