Alleged nurse assaults blamed on staff shortage

The Health and Safety Authority has been asked to inspect a hospital’s psychiatric unit where six nurses have been allegedly assaulted in the last fortnight.

Due to ongoing staff shortages, the situation has become “particularly chronic” in the acute admission psychiatric unit at Kerry General Hospital, Tralee, the Psychiatric Nurses’ Association has claimed.

The PNA’s Cormac Williams said that while there had been no assault causing serious injury, staff had been kicked and punched and some were on sick leave as a result.

“It’s dangerous for both staff and patients, and where you have disturbance, violence, and upheaval it’s not conducive to patients getting well,” he said.

Mr Williams said patients with challenging behaviour had previously been accommodated in a closed ward at St Finan’s Hospital, in Killarney, but were now in an open ward in Tralee.

“A more controlled environment is needed for these people,” he said.

St Finan’s Hospital closed last year.

Mr Williams has written to the HSA to carry out an inspection and to Kerry TDs asking them to raise the issue with the Government and Health Minister James Reilly.

“Due to continuing retirements and the non-replacement of retired staff, service delivery is becoming more and more difficult by the day,” he said. “Ironically, overtime is being paid in an effort to maintain a some semblance of a service at a time of record unemployment and immigration of graduate nurses.”

According to Mr Williams, the situation has deteriorated recently. He said the admission unit is a particularly dangerous and difficult area for staff to work in and claimed the HSE is failing in its duty of care to staff and patients.

The HSE is building a four-bed high intensity unit for patients with challenging behaviour at KGH.

A HSE spokesperson was not available to comment.