'Significant shortage' of medical and nursing staff at University Hospital Kerry

The INMO has said the HSE and Department of Health must "heed warnings" on insufficient nurse and midwife staffing

University Hospital Kerry in Tralee. Picture: Dan Linehan

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation  (INMO) has said the HSE and Department of Health must "heed warnings" on insufficient nurse and midwife staffing following inspections which showed “bleak” staffing levels.

This comes as Hiqa published the findings of inspections of three public acute hospitals: University Hospital Kerry, Cork University Maternity Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital.

Staffing issues were found across all three hospitals, with University Hospital Kerry’s emergency department, in particular, having a “significant shortage” of medical and nursing staff. 

In September 2022, Hiqa found “gross overcrowding” in the emergency department and a significant shortfall in the rostered complement of nursing staff.

Similarly, an inspection of Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) in October found shortages in the levels of medical, midwifery and nursing staff. 

INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha: 'The situation in University Hospital Kerry is of a particular concern to us and we have sought urgent meetings with hospital management on how safe staffing can be achieved.' Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Hiqa reported that hospital management was aware of the shortages and was working to address the issue through reassignment of existing staff. Hiqa said, despite this, CUMH had good overall levels of compliance.

INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said the reports “paint a bleak picture of the realities of unsafe nurse staffing”, noting medical assessment units had to close or operate at reduced capacity due to staff levels.

The situation in University Hospital Kerry is of a particular concern to us and we have sought urgent meetings with hospital management on how safe staffing can be achieved. 

"Hiqa’s report into Cork University Maternity Hospital highlights the crisis in midwifery staffing that exists in many maternity units right across the country. It is not acceptable to our members that they are not in a position to provide one-to-one support for women in labour,” she said.

Ms Ní Sheaghdha said it was “totally unacceptable but not a surprise” that of the 10 Hiqa hospital reports in the past 11 months, not one hospital had been found fully compliant with staffing. 

"The INMO has long been sounding the alarm on the very real human impact that unsafe staffing has on both nurses and the patients they are trying to provide care for."