'Increased risk to patients' as 50 nursing posts unfilled at Tipperary University Hospital

Over 50 nursing and midwifery posts are being left unfilled at Tipperary University Hospital. 

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) have said that these much-needed posts are being left unfilled at the hospital due to the HSE placing limited caps on recruitment. 

Speaking ahead of a cross-trade union protest at Tipperary University Hospital, INMO Industrial Relations Officer Liam Conway described the unfilled posts as "completely unacceptable" and said that this is having a negative impact across the hospital. 

Conway said: "These posts are not confined to any one department in the hospital, staffing is unsafe in the emergency department and at ward level. 

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"Demand for services in Tipperary University Hospital continues to grow and significant investment in staffing and bed capacity is needed to keep up with this demand. The suppression of key frontline nursing and midwifery posts in Tipperary University Hospital is leading to an increased risk to patients and staff alike."

The Industrial Relations Officer for the INMO stated that nursing positions are being left vacant in incredibly important departments such as stroke care, COPD, neurology and colorectal specialisms. He added that this is a significant "disservice to the people of Tipperary."

Speaking about the impact of such understaffing in hospitals, Conway said: "The reduction of nursing positions in Clonmel has left critical areas understaffed and unsafe, falling significantly short of the standards outlined in the Government's own Safe Staffing Framework.

"Research based on this framework clearly demonstrates that inadequate nurse staffing leads to poorer patient outcomes, longer hospital stays, and a heightened risk of mortality."

Expressing his frustration with the situation, he said: "The frontline healthcare workers and the people of Tipperary deserve better. The Government and the HSE must urgently reverse their current pay and staffing policies to ensure safe and effective healthcare for all."