ICU nurses in UHL begin strike action over lack of staff

Nurses begin work-to-rule on Friday morning over 'lack of safe staffing', which is impacting the 'physical and mental wellbeing of patients and staff', the INMO says

ICU nurses in University Hospital Limerick begin strike action as 84 patients wait for beds. Picture: Dan Linehan

Intensive care nurses in University Hospital Limerick have begun strike action in the form of work-to-rule on Friday morning. 

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), nearly a quarter of the required nurses are not available on the roster in the hospital's ICU, yet 100% of the ICU beds remain open to admissions. 

The union says the hospital should close two beds in the ICU pending the recruitment of suitably qualified and experienced ICU nurses, to "ensure patients are getting the one-to-one care that is expected".

Assistant director of industrial relations for the INMO Mary Fogarty said: “INMO members in the ICU in University Hospital are taking an unprecedented step today by beginning a work-to-rule.

"Regularly, shifts in the ICU are significantly depleted and this is predicted to continue. Our members are very concerned about the potential deviation away from one-nurse to one-patient care in the ICU" she said. 

The lack of consistent safe staffing in the intensive care unit is having a detrimental impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of our members working in this unit and their patients.

Ms Fogarty said since the ballot of union members in UHL's ICU ended, the INMO has engaged extensively with hospital management both at local level and through the Workplace Relations Commission.

“In order to make staffing safe in UHL ICU and ensure that patients are getting the one-to-one care that is expected in an intensive care unit, the INMO is calling on hospital management to temporarily close two beds in the ICU pending the recruitment of suitably qualified and experienced ICU nurses. 

"Unlike other hospitals experiencing similar nursing deficits, management in Limerick has been unwilling to do this thus far.

“Our members in UHL ICU have been working at full tilt since the beginning of the pandemic with very little reprieve. It is unacceptable that they are constantly expected to deliver nursing care in an unsafe situation.

“The decision to begin a work-to-rule is not one that our members have come to lightly but feel like all other avenues to resolve the issues that exist in UHL ICU have been closed off by hospital management.”

Latest trolley figures

This comes as the latest Trolley Watch figures from the INMO found 64 patients are waiting for beds in UHL on Friday morning. In total, 479 patients are on trolleys in hospitals around the country with Limerick the worst affected. Fifteen of those on trolleys are under 16. 

Cork University Hospital is the second worst impacted hospital, with 63 patients waiting for beds, followed by Tallaght University Hospital with 33.