Most nurses have ‘no time to talk to patients’

Seven out of every 10 Irish nurses are so overstretched they do not have time to comfort seriously ill patients or their families, while one third say patient checks are regularly left undone.

The claim is made in the Irish section of a soon-to-be published European-wide patient safety report, which also warns the crisis is further exacerbated by nurses being told to clean wards and act as porters due to non-medical cutbacks.

Annette Kennedy, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation professional development director, told the Irish Examiner the 2010-2011 findings show 69% of Irish nurses say they do not have time to “comfort or talk to patients”.