Vote against transfer shows ‘intensity of emotion’

The Psychiatric Nurses Association has described as “unique” the action of nurses who voted against transferring to a new €15m acute psychiatric unit despite three in five being offered an incentive to do so.

PNA general secretary Des Kavanagh said the rejection of the proposals, despite offering incentives to 29 of the 42 nurses, “demonstrated the intensity of the emotion” around the dispute that has delayed the opening of a new psychiatric unit on the grounds of Cork University Hospital by four months.

In an effort to break the deadlock, which centres around proposed staffing levels and the delayed opening of a six-bed high observation unit within the 50-bed facility, the HSE had offered to regularise the position of 12 staff in acting higher posts and to make 17 temporary staff permanent.