HSE and nurses group meet in bid to prevent hospital strike

THE HSE and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation are due to meet today in hope of reaching an agreement over the Workplace Relations Commission proposals.

The two organisations are meeting in an effort to stop a nursing staff strike, which is scheduled at seven hospitals next Thursday, January 14.

Nurses have called for the two-hour stoppage in protest at overcrowding and under staffing in emergency departments.

Proposals agreed at the WRC to address those issues were recently rejected by nurses.

The nurses organisation have previously said that they have a complete lack of confidence, based on their own experience, in the ability of the HSE to implement the WRC’s proposals.

The INMO say that they have real concerns, with regard to maintaining the professional registration of members who, because of overcrowding, can’t deliver the full range of care required by patients in the Emergency Department.

Earlier this week Liam Doran, INMO’s general secretary said: ‘It is quite clear that health employers will have to make a monumental effort, commencing this weekend, to begin convincing frontline nursing staff, in Emergency Departments, that the WRC proposals will be implemented and will make a real difference to patient care and safe nursing practice.’

Doran also suggested that hospitals be exposed to fines if they failed to deliver on implemented measures.

It is hoped that some agreement can be reached today to call off the strike so that scheduled elective procedures will be able to go ahead as planned.

The seven hospitals planning to strike are Beaumont Hospital and Tallaght Hospital in Dublin, Mercy University Hospital Cork, Cavan General Hospital, Midland Regional Hospital, University Hospital Galway and University Hospital Waterford.