Nurses at Sligo Hospital unable to take annual leave claims councillor
A RECENT report by an Emergency Nurse Specialist is “a damning report of the staffing shortages in Sligo University Hospital” where it is claimed nurses can no longer take annual leave because there is no one to replace them, while it is also claimed that there are new paediatric beds but there is no paediatric nurse assigned to them.
Cllr Thomas Walsh, who has been raising issues in relation to the impact staff shortages at the hospital are having on patients and nursing staff alike, said the recent report also states that the Emergency Department at the hospital is outdated and does not reflect current requirements for patient flow, observation, or monitoring.
Moving a motion at Monday’s meeting of Sligo County Council, Cllr Walsh stated that the report from Fiona McDaid said the Emergency Department was “outdated and the inefficiencies have been exacerbated by the need for two streams to deal with Covid. Extra space gained in the recent renovation of the monitoring unit has resulted in no staff increases”.
Staff shortages at the hospital was “an ongoing issue which it appears management are struggling to address”.
“We have opened new paediatric beds which have no paediatric nurse assigned to them and these beds are now closing at 5pm or 6pm in the evening, so I am not sure why we invested in the beds when they are closed from 6pm on.”
On Monday last he pointed out there were 26 people waiting on trolleys in the Emergency Department, a further 14 waiting for ward admission which means that at 40 people it was the highest in the country on that day [Monday]. “There are huge issues with staff nurses on the night shifts as some are not available to work, some are sick, and no nurse can be ‘backfilled’ into the position,” he said.
At the Emergency Department in Sligo University Hospital there are, he said, a huge number of inefficiencies and poor process and staff shortages which are not being addressed.
“Nurses who are working there on a daily basis and have done so over the last two and a half years cannot take annual leave at present due to the shortages.
“In midwifery the same issues arise, we are seeing in maternity where those nurses cannot take annual leave because there are such staff shortages.
“I think it is important we take this up at the Regional Health Forum and that we make the Minister and the CEO of the HSE aware of the distressing situation we have in the Emergency Department st Sligo University Hospital,” he said.
Cllr Walsh said he was unhappy with the tone of a previous response he received from the new regional chief, stating it was “frankly very arrogant in tone”. Cllr Rosaleen O’Grady, supporting the motion, said it was important the issue was kept on the table.
“We can build what we want, if you put beds into an Emergency Department, you need people to staff them. “Staff shortages are the main issue, and there is no point building six and seven storey buildings if you haven’t got the staff. Nurses and staff are under serious pressure there.”
Cllr Walsh’s motion, which was unanimously supported, proposed: “In light of a recent report into the Emergency Department at Sligo University Hospital, which was carried out by Ms Fiona McDaid, Emergency Nurse specialist, that Sligo County County Council calls for the business plan recently submitted to the HSE by management for eight additional nurses for the Emergency Department to be immediately approved. “In addition, that Sligo County Council wishes the HSE to clarify if the recently opened paeds beds in the ED are operating 24 hours a day and if those beds have an allocated qualified nurse. “That this motion be relayed for reply for the Minister for Health, to the CEO of the HSE and the CEO of
Saolta Group.”
CONCERNS: Cllr Thomas Walsh,