I welcome and support the following statement from the INMO. I have been highlighting these issues at our local hospital over the last 6 months. Very clear from the nurses on whats happening and whats needed at our hospital. INMO Members At Tullamore Hospital Concerned About Delivering Safe Patient Care Thursday, 10 April 2014 MORALE among nursing staff at Tullamore hospital is low a spokesperson for the Irish National Midwives Organisation (INMO) said Lorraine Monaghan was speaking in the wake of the recent news that inpatient activity at the Orthopedic Unit of the hospital has ceased. Members are very concerned about delivering safe patient care. They are working unmanageable work loads, she said. It all stems from overcrowding and understaffing. The cancellation of operations is a very serious matter, but the hospital has no other choice but to cut back on elective activity. The hospital has the capacity to cope with the demand it if it opened all of its beds. It . It has 322 beds at full capacity but just 259 beds opened originally and since its opening 19 beds have been closed, she said. If we look at staffing levels there were 410 full time positions in 2009 but in 2014 there are 347. Thats a big drop and there has been an increase in activity at the hospital of 25 to 30 per cent. If the beds were reopened then they could deal with the increase. They wouldnt be cancelling elective lists which can have serious repercussions, she added. In recent weeks advertisements have appeared seeking nurses in a number of different disciplines. Ms Monaghan is aware that there is some recruitment going on but stressed it is not enough to fill the gap. There are 63 less nurses in the hospital. We need to not only recruit but to look at the increase in activity. She compared what is happening in Irish hospitals to a hospital in Staffordshire in the UK where she said it was found there were hundreds of unnecessary deaths because the focus was on budgets as opposed to patient care. The moratorium on recruitment has to be lifted for front line staff. They cant keep cutting and expect to deliver a safe service. We have an aging population with more complex needs. All that has to be taken into account. she concluded. Meanwhile a statement from the HSE said. The HSE National Recruitment Service has commenced a recruitment campaign which will fill a number of staff nurse vacancies immediately at the Midland Regional Hospital at Tullamore, the Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar and the Midland Regional Hospital at Portlaoise in the area of Medical/Surgical, Critical Care, Emergency Dept and Theatre. It is intended that a panel will be formed to fill vacancies as they arise at all hospitals, subject to the number of applications.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Apr 2014 21:44:11 +0000
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