Gardaí rostered at Cork hospital due to violence towards staff
The pilot policing programme has been devised by the Mercy University Hospital CEO and security manager along with a senior member of An Garda Síochána. File picture: Dan Linehan
Gardaí are being rostered to do shifts at a Cork City hospital due to escalating levels of violence towards frontline staff.
Officers have begun working shifts at the Mercy University Hospital as part of a pilot scheme devised by hospital chief executive Margaret McKiernan, its security manager, and a senior member of An Garda Síochána.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has revealed that 11 assaults take place each day, on average, at healthcare settings across the country.
In Cork alone, 35 healthcare workers took leave due to assaults on duty over the last two years.
In total, these staff took 1,455 days off between March 2023 and March 2025 as a result of an assault.
Ms McKiernan said the scheme, introduced last month, is based on a model used in London.
“Staff safety has always been a key priority here,” she said.
"This is all about keeping our staff as safe as possible.
“We started it a month ago. At the moment, we have a member of the gardaí who comes in here and works for two shifts a week.
“They provide a very visible presence. Gardaí are able to de-escalate situations. They also provide reassurance to staff that we are doing everything we can to keep them as safe as possible in their workplace.”
The move follows mounting concern among frontline workers at the hospital who have to carry personal alarms for their own safety, as reported by the Irish Examiner in May 2024.
Speaking at the time, Emma Murphy, a member of the INMO, said 25 cases impacting nurses were with gardaí and “under review”.
Some 40 people had already been prosecuted, she said, adding that 13 during that period were awaiting a court date, and 30 had been issued with antisocial behaviour orders.
Some 55 people had conversations with gardaí about their behaviour.
Ms McKiernan said she and her team have been working closely with other hospitals to improve the situation.
“Inner-city hospitals face particular challenges across Europe but they also have unique opportunities,” she said.
“We work closely with St James’s Hospital and the Mater, in particular, around innovations and ways we can deliver that service, particularly around health inclusion.”
Ms McKiernan said the hospital will continue to support staff impacted by abuse.
Of the measures taken to date, she said: “It has made a difference in terms of underlining our commitment to keeping staff as safe as possible in their work.
“We have a zero-tolerance approach to violence and aggression against our staff. We also have a good record with the support of the gardaí in prosecutions where they are required and we support our staff in any of those court appearance.
"This is taken very seriously.”
Ms McKiernan was speaking at the launch of the Mercy University Hospital’s strategic plan for 2025-2030.
She praised the staff and their commitment to delivering exceptional healthcare, adding: “Our new strategic plan reflects Mercy University Hospital’s unwavering commitment to putting patients first and striving for excellence in everything we do.”
The plan for 2025-30 also addresses key capital developments, including a new extension comprising 72 beds, an increase in the number of intensive care unit beds, co-location of urgent and emergency care, and centralisation of an expanded theatre complex.
It reinforces the hospital’s commitment to delivering improved digital services, including the introduction of electronic prescribing and electronic healthcare records in line with national policy.
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