INMO calls for healthcare staff increase ahead of potential second wave of Covid-19

Pic; Larry Cummins

It would be "inhumane" not to increase the number of healthcare staff ahead of a second wave of Covid-19, according to the country's nursing union.

The INMO today told government's Covid-19 response committee that some nurses are traumatised in the long-term after working through the pandemic.

27-year-old nurse Siobhán Murphy hasn't returned to work since contracting the virus 12 weeks ago, as she is still experiencing the physical and mental side-effects of Covid-19.

She says nurses need more psychological support than the current helpline that's currently available to staff.

"I ended up in hospital for a week, and I had to be monitored and investigated as an in-patient at the hospital where I work.

"Just a week previous, I would have been stood at bedside, providing care to dying patients who succombed to Covid-19.

"It was extremely traumatising, and I'm not sure if any nurse could overcome that with just a number, or an app."