The Irish Nurses' Organisation said it was "very disappointed" with the Interim Report of the Commission on Nursing published yesterday. Mr Liam Doran, INO deputy general secretary, said the report merely highlighted problems but made no recommendations on how to deal with them.
"The report is a fair description of the numerous problems confronting nurses. However, we are very disappointed it did not go further and make recommendations on the structural problems which were raised," said Mr Doran. The executive committee of the INO will meet today to discuss the report. The failure to appoint nurses to permanent positions, causing them to feel "undervalued, demoralised and very angry", was one of the concerns voiced to the commission.
According to the report, which was presented to the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, the most prevalent issue relating to employment was nurses being employed in a temporary capacity. The commission, chaired by Miss Justice Mella Carroll, heard from many who had worked full-time hours for many years without being appointed to a permanent post. "Nurses described situations of repeatedly presenting for interview only to be placed so far down the list that it was impossible to be appointed during the life-time of the panel and some were not placed at all," said the report.
Many nurses told the commission, which was established in March, following the nurses' pay dispute, that not being placed on a panel for permanent employment after working in a temporary capacity for a number of year adversely affected their morale. "Yet, it was suggested, such nurses continued to be called in for duty at the convenience of the hospital despite being unsuccessful at interview".
Mr Cowen said it was quite obvious that nurses throughout the State had a huge input into the report, both through their attendance at meetings with the commission and through the exceptionally large volume of written submissions which they had made.
"The interim report marks a significant milestone in setting out clearly a range of issues and problems both within nursing and in the profession's positing within the overall health service," he said. Bullying of nurses in the workplace was another of the main topics raised with the commission. It appeared that bullying may be taking place at a variety of levels in nursing. "Complaints were made of students being bullied by nurses, nurses being bullied by other nurses and professionals, nurses being bullied by nurse management and nurse management being bullied by general management," said the report.
Nurses also reported being subjected to verbal and even physical abuse from patients or their relatives, particularly in accident and emergency departments. Public health nurses reported being exposed to threatening situations either in very isolated areas or in inner city areas. "It was stated that such nurses were very vulnerable as they were not equipped with mobile phones or personal alarms to enable them to call for help."
It was suggested that a compensation scheme for injuries received or stress following a violent incident at work should be established similar to that in place for gardai and prison officers. It was suggested that nurse staffing levels in many hospitals and in all disciplines were "inadequate and lacked uniformity" throughout the State. "Considerable dissatisfaction was expressed regarding the methods by which staffing levels were set. Nurses called for a uniform, transparent, equitable and objective method of determining staffing levels."
The report reflected the "initial phase" of the work of the commission. Through a consultative process, the commission sought to determine the issues of concern to nurses. It has not yet reached any conclusions on the issues. They will now be considered and addressed in a final report, expected towards the middle of 1998. The commission's task is to examine and report on the role of nurses in the health services. It had consultations with around 3,000 people, representing all nursing disciplines. It received over 700 written submissions.