INMO calls for better hospital security after increase in assaults

Gardaí are currently investigating an incident in which Joe McCarron appears to have been encouraged to leave Letterkenny University Hospital, but died a week later.

The general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) Phil Ní Sheaghdha has called for better security in hospitals because of an increase in assaults and verbal abuse.

Speaking to RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, Ms Ní Sheaghdha said the recent incident in a Letterkenny hospital where a patient was encouraged to leave despite being very ill with Covid-19 highlighted the issues being faced by healthcare workers.

Gardaí are currently investigating an incident in which Joe McCarron appears to have been encouraged to leave Letterkenny University Hospital but died a week later.

The 67-year-old from Dungloe left the hospital with a group of anti-vaccine campaigners but was readmitted two days later and put on a ventilator.

Doctors and nurses warned that Mr McCarron could die at home, and his best chance at recovery was in a hospital setting.

However, an activist who was with Mr McCarron, replied to medics: “It’s better if he dies in the house than here. He’s going to die with us.” 

He died on Friday morning and was buried on Sunday.

"I really think that the issue for us right now is ... security to ensure that that incident that happened in Letterkenny is not repeated, Ms Ní Sheaghdha said.

She said nurses and healthcare staff were "busy enough" and did not need to be dealing with misinformation and "that type of behaviour towards very sick and vulnerable people."

She added: "Security has to be reviewed in all settings."

Vaccine hesitancy was not an issue among her members, added Ms Ní Sheaghdha. There were anti-vaccination groups trying “to get inroads in some areas.” 

The incidents of assault and verbal abuse had increased which added pressure for staff who were already coping with two different strands of care – Covid and non-Covid and there were real concerns about reduced numbers of staff.