The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Psychiatric nurses plan more strike action
OVER 130 psychiatric nurses in Kerry have agreed to press ahead with Phase II of nationwide industrial action which will commence on July 13 and will include a ban on overtime.
The decision comes following what the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) says is the absence of adequate proposals from the HSE and Department of Health to address the issues of understaffing of mental health service across the country.
The escalation of the industrial action was ratified this week by the National Executive Committee of the PNA and will take a number of forms inlcindg nurses not uing their own transport for hostel activities when re- deployed to fill a staff shortage.
If redeployed, nurses have been advised to ‘work under protest’ and will also cease using IT systems, except when inputting or accessing reports in relation to direct patient care e.g. blood results, medical reports, and electronic notes.
The nurses have also been advised not to attend non-clinical meetings; not to open and close entrance doors to units, (This refers to doors based on key pads and buzzers and swipes, you would enter/exit yourself but would not open the door for others) and not to co-operate with reconfiguration, new initiatives, pilot projects.
‘There appears to be a lack of understanding of the resolve of psychiatric nurses to bring the current staffing crisis to an end, “Kerry PNA representative Cormac Williams said.
“Nurses are simply not prepared to continue trying to provide essential mental health services with the current level of under-staffing and that resolve was shown with the original vote of over 87 per cent of PNA members in support of industrial action.’