Nurses call for extra funding to reduce ED assaults

OVERCROWDING in emergency departments is ‘not sustainable’, as nurses and midwives warn it is causing ‘adverse reactions’ from patients.

On the second day of its annual conference in Sligo, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) called for increased funding for emergency departments (EDs) in a bid to reduce assaults on staff.

The Irish Daily Mail revealed yesterday that more than 5,600 healthcare staff have been assaulted since the beginning of 2021, with the union blaming the ‘pressure cooker’ environments of EDs.

President of the INMO, Karen McGowan, said yesterday that an increase in assaults has particularly been seen in EDs.

‘The pressures have increased during the pandemic and it is noted that the amount of assaults on staff has increased during that time period. The environment is just not sustainable,’ she told Morning Ireland.

‘When it’s overcrowded, you’re guaranteed to have adverse reactions, as well as that, it’s guaranteed that the mortality rate of patients is increased when patients are nursed in overcrowded emergency departments, so it’s a recipe for disaster,’ she said. Figures from the INMO show that healthcare staff faced a total of 5,672 cases of verbal, physical, or sexual assault in the workplace during this period.

Since the beginning of 2021, over 3,416 nurses have been assaulted – on average seven assaults a day.

A breakdown of the data shows that 4,763 cases occurred in 2021, with a further 909 up to March 31 of this year.

Labour health spokesperson Duncan Smith said Ms McGowan’s comments were ‘difficult to listen to’ and that this worrying trend demands improved safety procedures in hospitals.