Housing crisis forces nurses to quit jobs in Cork city hospitals

Cork's housing crisis means nurses move jobs, INMO delegates heard. Picture: Larry Cummins

The housing crisis is now so acute in Cork city that nurses have quit hospital jobs and moved to roles in rural areas.

Others are paying agents €80 per viewing in desperation, nurses have claimed.

Nurses in the Cork HSE branch of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said nurses are sleeping on friends’ sofas or in garden sheds.

Reema Antony, clinical nurse manager level 3 at Cork University Hospital, said: “Experienced nurses are moving from the acute hospital, which is going to impact acute care.” 

She described this as “a huge problem”, saying that last year “five or six senior nurses” with more than 15 years’ experience moved to smaller hospitals.

Reema Antony said 'experienced nurses are moving from the acute hospital, which is going to impact acute care'.

“It’s not only Indian nurses or international nurses, even Irish nurses are moving,” she warned.

“I had one staff member who was working in the acute stroke unit, she had to move to Kerry. 

She resigned because she can’t afford to live in Cork city any more. She said ‘I’m going back to my parents’ house’.

Jibin M Soman said those desperate for housing in Cork now face “a new exploitation”, with startling fees charged by some estate agents.

Speaking during the INMO annual delegate conference at Croke Park, he described a typical interaction.

“People randomly call and [say] ‘we have new houses available at the moment, so if you want I can take you for viewings and you come with us. But you [have to] register first [for] €400, then if I take you for a viewing, give me €80 an hour for the viewing, so if I spend one hour with you give me €80'," he said.

“People are happy to do that but at the same time if they go for four viewings, they pay four by €80,” he said.

Branch member Amanda Bernardino proposed a motion urging the union to “continue to lobby the Government for better and more appropriate housing plans for frontline essential healthcare workers". This was passed.

Amanda Bernardino's motion urging the union to 'continue to lobby the Government for better and more appropriate housing plans for frontline essential healthcare workers' was passed.

Janet Baby Joseph said construction is ongoing at CUH for many developments which will require extra staff.

“If we are getting staff, where are they going to be accommodated? There is huge money going into the construction but there is not [the same for housing],” she said.

The nurses want hospitals or the HSE to provide at least short-term housing, pointing out that this was discussed at last year’s conference but no action has followed.

Construction is ongoing at CUH for developments which will require extra staff but Janet Baby Joseph asked where they will be accommodated. 

INMO assistant director of industrial relations Colm Porter supported their concerns, linking housing pressures to staff shortages.

“Housing is a big factor,” he said.

I know a lot of the talk is around Dublin housing, but Cork is similar now. It’s a supply issue, people can’t even get accommodation.

“You are seeing people commute from further and further. There are people coming from Tipperary [to CUH], you are talking an hour-plus to commute in," he said.

This follows 12-hour shifts on medical or surgical wards, he said.

The INMO conference also passed an emergency motion calling for a revised approach to implementing safe nurse and midwife staffing across the health services.