Challenging start to week at overcrowded Mayo hospital
Twenty-six admitted patients are without beds at Mayo University Hospital today due to overcrowding.
Eleven are on trolleys in the emergency department and 15 are in wards elsewhere.
Nationally, 542 admitted patients are waiting for beds, according to today’s INMO Trolley Watch.
Of those 375 patients are waiting in the emergency department while 167 are in wards elsewhere in the hospital.
Meanwhile, Fórsa and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation have served notice of industrial action to the HSE today, marking an escalation in the dispute over the effect of the HSE’s ‘Pay and Numbers Strategy’ which imposed a fixed employment ceiling across all health services, in addition to suppressing all posts that were vacant on December 31, 2023.
The two health unions have served three weeks’ notice of the action and union members in both the HSE and Section 38 voluntary hospitals have been instructed to engage in the action, commencing with a work-to-rule and other non-cooperation actions, from Monday, March 31.
Fórsa and the INMO have created Joint Organising Committees (JOCs) in each health region, designed to gather localised information on vacant posts and staff shortages that the HSE has refused to provide. Following a meeting of these committees on February 27, INMO President Caroline Gourley and Cathaoirleach of Fórsa’s Health and Welfare Division Clodagh Kavanagh noted the significance of two of the country’s largest healthcare unions working together to call out the glaring issues with the HSE’s ‘Pay and Numbers Strategy’ and its ongoing impact on staff and patient safety.
Following the serving of notice to the HSE and Section 38 Voluntary Hospitals, INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “INMO members voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action last November to send a clear message to the HSE that moratoriums and severely restricting the recruitment of patient-facing posts is in breach of many safe staffing agreements between healthcare unions and the HSE.
"Nurses, midwives and other safety-critical professionals within the public health service must have a greater say in how hospital wards and community care areas are staffed.”
Ms Ní Sheaghdha added: “Nurses and midwives on the frontline are crying out for support, and they feel ignored.
"Instead of additional staff, they are being faced with recruitment embargoes and needless administrative obstacles.
"Senior decision-makers in the HSE are clearly desensitised to the risks associated with continuing to leave posts vacant.
"Unsafe staffing is having a detrimental impact on the health and safety of our members who are experiencing high levels of exhaustion and are extremely demoralised by constant exposure to high clinical risks.”