Hospitals braced for more nursing strikes

Rolling work stoppages will target medical facilities in Dublin, Laois and Clare today.

More than 1,000 nurses are expected to join picket lines as they intensify their campaign for better pay and working conditions.

Hospital management have met with INO officials to ensure emergency and critical care is covered during the stoppages.

The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) and Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) will stage protests outside St James’ Hospital and St Patrick’s Psychiatric Hospital, Dublin, Portlaoise General Hospital and Laois/Offaly Mental Health Services, and Ennis General Hospital and Clare Mental Health Services, from 11am to noon.

It follows similar walkouts yesterday, where nurses and midwives demonstrated outside hospital and mental health services in Sligo, Cork and Louth.

All services will be provided at St James’ tomorrow – Ireland’s largest hospital with 1,000 beds and 1,340 nursing staff – except for two day-case procedures that have been rescheduled for May.

“It is important that all other patients, including outpatients and day patients, attend at their appointed time and they need not contact the hospital in advance,” said a hospital spokesman.

“The Emergency Department will be under increased pressure and members of the public are requested to attend their GP, where possible, before attending the Emergency Department.

“We are requesting that enquiries regarding the welfare of in-patients, and about routine appointments, be kept to a minimum.”

Yesterday, the HSE said that approximately 70 deferred procedures have been deferred so far from the work stoppages being held all over the country, with the nationwide work to rule adding to the suffering and distress caused by patients.