Nurses at Cashel’s St Patrick’s hospital step up industrial action

Nurses in the Rehabilitation Unit in St Patrick’s Hospital, Cashel have stepped up their industrial action this week in protest against chronic understaffing.

Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) members have been engaging in a work-to-rule action since 8am on Monday, October 1 meaning they are focusing solely on patient care and refusing to perform twelve tasks. 

These include performing clerical duties, attending staff meetings, answering phones, attending non-mandatory training, admitting patients in the morning without safe staffing levels.

This follows a previous, more limited “work to rule” protest on September 11 where nurses refused to do four tasks. 

The protest was suspended to allow for talks with the HSE and management at the Workplace Relations Commission.

The INMO said the talks did not lead to agreement to fix the understaffing problem

INMO Industrial Relations officer, Liz Curran, said: “We just want to care for our patients in the way we were trained to do. There are simply too few staff to do that and patients are suffering as a result.

“The Cashel nurses have been enormously patient but are totally frustrated. They have made very modest requests on behalf of patients and the HSE have not made sufficient progress.”