Government proposes radical reform of how hospital wards are staffed

The Government is set to radically reform the way hospital wards are staffed and structured after a new pilot project found simple changes can reduce deaths, improve patient outcomes, and save the State millions of euro a year.

Health Minister Simon Harris was given sign-off to extend the plan, which is backed by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the HSE, to hospitals nationwide at the latest cabinet meeting yesterday.

In recent months, a number of wards at Beaumont Hospital, St Columcille’s Hospital in Loughlinstown, and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda have been involved in a new pilot staffing project examining how nurses are deployed.