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NURSES ARE SET to vote on the holding of a national ballot on industrial action shortly, after the HSE announced €25 million in funding for 854 additional nurses in acute hospitals across the country.
While the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has welcomed the announcement from the Department of Health, the Assistant Director of Industrial Relations Albert Murphy said that it doesn’t go far enough, and that a fully funded safe staffing plan “underpinned by legislation” is desperately needed.
Murphy also spoke about nurses not having been paid increases agreed between the union and the HSE under the Momentum Agreement.
Nurses from the retired section, and student nurses also spoke about how the payroll delays are destroying confidence in the health system.
Ciarán Freeman, an intern nurse and EMT based in Galway, said that six month delays in staff receiving promised pay increases means that younger staff who may go abroad are losing confidence in “change within the HSE”.
In an emergency motion, the INMO executive council proposed that, in the absence of “significant progress”on the implementation of a funded workforce plan, members will “commence a ballot of all members for industrial action in mid-September”.
While it has not been specified that this will mean strike action, it has not been ruled out.
“The nature and timing of any action is to be determined by the Executive Council,” the motion reads.
The motion sets out that the union is pursuing the implementation of legislation that will underpin the existing framework for safe nursing – which shapes policy on surgical, medical and emergency wards – and is also asking for that framework to all nursing and midwifery work locations.
It further notes that the publication of a fully funded workforce plan has not happened since 2017 despite “numerous meetings”.
Speaking ahead of the debate today, the new CEO of the HSE Bernard Gloster made a series of commitments on workforce planning.
Gloster told the crowd of nurses and midwives that the HSE is moving away from the traditional winter plan, as the challenge facing the health service is now “continuous”.
He further stated that he has asked for all senior managers within the HSE to provide a “plan for management of capacity for the rest of the year, not just for winter”.
“If that plan means we have to redirect and reprioritise how we use what we have, then so be it,” he said.
HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said that he would like to see more student nurses promised permanent jobs, and that the HSE needs to be “extremely careful” about how staff recruited from abroad are being treated, at the @INMO_IRL conference pic.twitter.com/yP5r2BfWTu
— Eimer McAuley (@eimer_mcauley) May 4, 2023
Gloster’s remarks received a round of applause in the room, as did his comments on the HSE being “too top heavy” as an organisation.
Gloster further told the INMO delegates that he has appointed Dr Geraldine Shaw, Acting Nursing and Midwifery Services Director, as a member of the HSE’s expert review body, and as his advisor on nursing and midwifery.
In response, INMO General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said that the appointment of Dr Shaw showed a level of commitment to tackling the issues that he has “inherited”.
Ni Sheaghdha said that retention of nurses is now crucial, as the union wants to see those graduating in Ireland working in the country as opposed to countries like Australia and Canada.
She also said that outstanding payroll issues within the HSE need to be resolved immediately.
“With any ballot, the first question we are going to be asked by members is, what is the point if we won’t get [the increase] for eight months, resolving outstanding pay issues needs to be a priority,” she said.
Ni Sheaghdha also said that INMO is attending the WRC in order to see an agreement brokered on the HSE’s obligation to look after staff who contracted long covid over the course of the pandemic.
In conclusion, she told Gloster: “We welcome you, it will be a new dawn.”
However Ni Sheaghdha added that in order to deliver on patient safety, nurses have to be “given a seat at the table,” when it comes to making key decisions on workforce planning.
Speaking to the press at the conference, Gloster said that there needs to be a focus on “urgent care in Ireland throughout the year”.
He added that the HSE is now focused on developing an urgent care plan “for the rest of this year, right through the summer and into the winter”, he added that he would like to see the plan finalised and “agreed with the Minister by the end of May.”
“By June of this year we want to finalise with Minister Donnelly a three year plan for unscheduled care, to be very clear that is not going to solve all the issues, or take away all of the difficulties,” he added.
When asked how the HSE is going to recruit the hundreds of additional nurses it is aiming to have in place by the end of the year, Gloster said that the HSE is going to look at both additional domestic training places and recruitment abroad.
“We know that an increasing number of nurses are being trained outside of Ireland, we welcome them, we have to look after them as well, but as we want to grow the nursing workforce between now and 2041, the imbalance will be too much in terms of our dependency on nurses coming from abroad, so we do need to add to the 2,000 or so a year that we are training in Ireland,” he said.
Gloster also said that he would like to see more student nurses being guaranteed a permanent job before they graduate in Ireland.
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The big issue here is not offering the graduates solid well paid jobs with options to do further courses and move up the ranks…these are available abroad…that is one reason why nurses leave Ireland….
@scarke: Move up the ranks? Lol!. The good old Irish people put a stop to this kind of thing years ago, we’re in a state of undress in terms of the public sector, the so-called ‘glory days’ are long gone. Most have a second job to look forward to in this land of zero aspirations, 30,000 left last year, expect that to be up, and really we have only our own bs attitude to blame.
HSE, Government, promises = lies!!! We’ve heard every lie and broken promise their is.
There is always a big fanfare for pay rises. Well maybe if you are lucky but I am now waiting 7 months for the 2022 increase and 16 months for the back money now owing to me not to mention that this years 1 percent won’t probably be seen this year. If state pensions were treated like this there would be an outcry.
@Mary Conneely: I don’t think it’s as much about pay rises but extra staffing levels. They are burnt out. Given the state of conditions in hospitals I hope they bring on the strike action. The whole country is is suffering because of this inept government.
So that’s nurse’s threatening strike, gardaí up in arms over rosters but unable to strike, firefighters threatening strike and paramedics threatening strike. But sure not to worry, it’s not like these are critical roles or anything…
@Andy Bart: and let’s bring more people into the country to load on to the system that’s not fit for purpose further weakening what’s already failing…
Where would these overseas recruits live . By all accounts not treated well either . Promises galore . Irish trained nurses are not given contracts – Whats that about . On graduation we were all given jobs – retention of staff guaranteed. Simple solution really . Nurses are assaulted daily , then not supported by their management and are burnt out- bullied by management in some cases .these office nurses should be on the floor with case load – that would give a big injection to the staffing crisis .no need for all these new made up posts . Several doing the one job !!! Should be investigation into this area … Patient care has been sacrificed in favour of paperwork and the lack of respect from mgt and government causesBurn out in lots of cases – no flexibility with young mothers not been allowed to job share – so they walk . Who could blame them . Staff afraid to speak out – the public should know what’s it’s like to work in some of these places -no transparency – bullying tactics used too.
In my career I’ve worked very closely with cops, firefighters, teachers and nurses. It’s not even a debate, nurses are the best. The other 3 professions enjoy far better benefits than nurses. Time to put nurses on par.
@Paulco: I agree nurse’s need better benefits but have you actually worked with firefighters and paramedics in ireland? Paramedics are on their knees unable to keep up with the demand for calls and retained firefighters recieve UP to 11,000€ a year for being on call 24/7 50 weeks a year. There’s nothing to be gained by putting one party above another, all are in desperate need of an improvement in terms.
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