Senior public-health nurse managers in the Health Service Executive’s West and North West regions have said they will embark on a work to rule from the end of this week in a dispute over staffing levels and workloads.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said on Monday the action by the region’s director of nursing and a number of assistant directors was being taken because the HSE had failed to implement recommendations intended to address the issues involved.
The two sides are said to have engaged locally and on two occasions at the Workplace Relations Commission but the union says the resources required to address the problems that have been raised, including additional staff, have not been provided.
“The pressure directors of public-health nursing are under in Galway is intolerable,” says David Miskell, the INMO’s professional and regulatory officer.
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“The national average for a catchment area for a director of public-health nursing is 150,000 people while in Galway that average is increasing towards 285,000 people. The population of Galway is unique compared to other parts of the country, with a large geographic area with an urban-rural mix, island populations and a growing population.
“The fact that staffing and resources in the area are not at the level which they should be means that patient care is falling short. The health and safety of INMO members in public-health nursing in Galway is significantly compromised. Public-health nurse management in Galway are at a juncture now where they feel like they have no other option but to engage in industrial action.”
He said he hoped the HSE would engage “meaningfully” on the issues raised but that, if not, the action would start at the end of this week then escalate over the coming weeks.
The HSE was approached for comment.
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