Health job freeze before WRC

THE HSE recruitment freeze has been referred to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) amid concerns it ‘poses very serious health and safety risks to nurses and midwives’.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives (INMO) said the issue was due to be aired before a conciliation conference at the WRC today.

The recruitment moratorium was extended to almost all staff in November last year, in an effort to address budget overruns. Phil Ní Sheaghdha, INMO general secretary, said: ‘The recruitment moratorium as it stands poses very serious health and safety risks to nurses and midwives who find themselves working short continuously. It deteriorates the increasingly dangerous work environment for nurses and midwives, makes creating a safe environment for patients impossible and will have long- term impacts on retaining and recruiting staff.’

It comes as 583 patients languished on trolleys yesterday ahead of a feared Easter bank holiday spike.

The HSE has said the sickest patients will be prioritised by emergency departments over the Easter weekend, and urged people with less critical conditions to consider other options.

Ms Ní Sheaghdha said: ‘The number of patients being treated without a bed, particularly in the Midwest, is very concerning and does not bode well for the Easter bank holiday weekend. The HSE needs to immediately outline how it will be planning to discharge patients. The sheer number of patients on trolleys is not helped by the fact that practically all hospitals are running short because of the HSE recruitment freeze which is having a detrimental impact.’

The HSE said it was asking the public to consider all care options this Easter, including their GPs, pharmacists and GP out of hours, before presenting at emergency departments (EDs), where they should expect to face long waiting times.