Clonmel and Cashel nurses to ballot for industrial action

Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) at both St Patrick’s Hospital in Cashel and St Anthony’s Unit in Clonmel have commenced a ballot for industrial action because the HSE is refusing to acknowledge nursing deficits and employ additional nurses to provide care for all residents and patients.

In the last number of months the INMO has attended meetings with members who are visibly distressed regarding their inability to provide acceptable standards of care to vulnerable residents and patients. At meetings with local management, most recently on May 15, members have pleaded for additional nurses to enable proper care and their distress was evident when this request was denied.

Local management advise that business cases submitted by them for additional nurses were not approved at a higher level within the HSE. It appears to the INMO that there is an absolute refusal by higher level officials in the HSE to listen to, and act on, the advocacy of nurses. The patients and residents in their care are mainly elderly, vulnerable people with complex needs, especially those with dementia or who are highly dependent on nurses for their well-being.

Speaking on Thursday, INMO industrial relations officer, Mary Fogarty said: “It is deeply disturbing and offensive that the persons refusing to provide the necessary resources are not present in these locations to see for themselves the needs of the population of residents and patients.

"We are of the view that the HSE are non-compliant in their duty of care to all affected by placing the residents/patients at risk and causing unnecessary workplace stresses for our members. Nurses wish to be provided with sufficient nursing hours to look after their patients and they are left now with no other option but to let the public know the great difficulties they are experiencing and ballot for industrial action to right the wrong. This is a dispute that is simply about our elderly, frail and vulnerable citizens in HSE care with their nurses speaking out on their behalf.”