Nurses ‘dread’ working on St Patrick’s Day- INMO

Nurses "dread" working on St Patrick's Day and other occasions where there is an increase in people using accident and emergency departments, says general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), Liam Doran.

Speaking about this week's review by the Workplace Relations Commission of plans to deal with staffing shortages, Mr Doran said that he was glad the Department of Health and the HSE were still committed to recruitment measures.

However, he expressed concerns about the efforts being made to attract personnel to Irish hospitals.

“I’m worried about the ability to attract nurses to work here. So far the response has not been good, efforts seem to have fallen on fallow ground.

“There is also the issue of retaining the nurses who already work at the frontline. They work long hours, in difficult circumstances with little appreciation.”

Mr Doran welcomed the taskforce on nursing levels, which he said would focus on manpower planning, where “once and for all” there would be an agreement on standard levels such a nurse:patient ratio.

“Your heart and mind would be broken over the pressures being faced in emergency departments in this country. There is an urgent need for a system-wide response to deal with the crisis,” he said