Psychiatric nurses at the biggest hospital in the west are due to take industrial action on Tuesday over staffing and safety issues.
The nurses at the acute psychiatric unit of University College Hospital (UCHG) in Galway said they had been forced to take industrial action following “the failure of HSE management” to address the issues at the heart of a long-running dispute.
More than 90 per cent of the nurses voted a fortnight ago to step up their action following 36 assaults on staff so far this year.
On April 22nd, 10 nurses refused to take up duty in the unit on health and safety grounds. They said they were doing so out of concern for both staff and patients. The 10 returned to work later that day after an agreement was reached to enter talks at the Labour Relations Commission.
The Psychiatric Nurses Association’s industrial officer, Peter Hughes, said it was time for Minister of State for Disability and Mental Health Kathleen Lynch to demand that the HSE address the health and safety issues of staff and patients at UCHG and avert industrial action.
“The PNA has been left with no option but to proceed to industrial action,” Mr Hughes said, “in an effort to get serious engagement on these issues from HSE management.”