Hundreds of cases of physical, sexual, and verbal abuse of nurses investigated

It is expected that one of the people addressing the Oireachtas health committee today will be a children's nurse who has endured verbal and physical assaults from parents angry at overcrowding. File photo: iStock

Almost 500 investigations were carried out into physical, sexual, and verbal abuse of nurses in the workplace during a one-year period, the Oireachtas health committee will hear today.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) is to say the increasing levels of assaults, burnout, and occupational infections cannot be ignored.

They will highlight data showing 5,593 reported assaults on nursing and midwifery staff in HSE public hospitals alone between January 2021 and October 2022.

A children’s nurse working in Dublin is expected to give details to the committee of being physically and verbally assaulted when parents expressed frustration at delays linked to the overcrowding crisis.

INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha is to repeat the union’s call for a full review and audit of security systems and protocols in Irish hospitals.

They will call for proper resourcing of the Health and Safety Authority to investigate more complaints properly.

“We often describe our hospitals as pressure cooker type environments and the circumstances our members found themselves working since last July have borne out this description," she said. 

Ms Ní Sheaghdha is expected to refer to the high level of nursing and midwifery shortages, and will indicate unsafe work environments are contributing to this. She is expected to say: 

Within the acute hospital service, nurses and midwives are working in impossible conditions to provide the safest care possible, but their workplaces are dangerous. 

The Siptu trade union will also address the committee, on behalf of workers including porters and security staff.

Siptu health division organiser Kevin Figgis will say all healthcare workers face a real threat of physical assault in their workplaces based on HSE data.

“They also show that support staff — which includes healthcare assistants, porters, catering, cleaning, and security staff — are the second biggest category impacted by serious physical assaults in the workplace after nurses,” he will tell the committee.

“However, support staff only receive 25% of the financial supports afforded to allied health professionals, clerical officers and nursing staff, even if they are all assaulted in the same incident.” 

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Siptu representatives are also expected to focus on the need for safe staffing levels to match the number of patients attending.

He will discuss concerns members have raised around the HSE dignity at work policy which aims to prevent bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment at work.

The committee will also hear from the Irish Medical Organisation which represents doctors and Fórsa which represents health workers including dieticians, occupational therapists, and physiotherapists.