Psychiatric nurses end HSE dispute

UNION CONFIDENT THAT RECRUITMENT OF NURSES WILL BEGIN WITHIN MONTHS

THE Psychiatric Nurses Association expects the HSE to recruit additional nurses to mental health services in Kerry within months following the end of the union’s national dispute over the recruitment and retention of psychiatric nurses

PNA representative for Kerry, Cormac Williams, said that final agreement was reached between the union and the Health Service Executive at the Workplace Relations Commission late on Tuesday afternoon last, paving the way for vital recruitment in the mental health sector.

The industrial action had run for over six weeks nationally and here in Kerry, in anticipation of the dispute escalating, the HSE had already decided to close the mental health day facilities in Rathmore and Kenmare on Wednesday August 17.

“Having already informed the service users of the decision, the settlement came too late on Tuesday to reverse that decision,” Mr Williams explained.

“While mental health day facilities remained closed in Rathmore and Kenmare on Wednesday, services returned to normal on Thursday and are operating as normal since.”

He added that all 130 PNA members in Kerry are happy with the outcome and are hopeful that vital recruitment will begin sooner rather than later

“We are now confident as a result of the settlement the HSE will sanction additional recruitment of nurses to the mental health services in Kerry over the coming months as well as the appointment of all temporary nurses and all 2016 mental health graduates from IT Tralee,” he said.