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THE PSYCHIATRIC NURSES Association of Ireland has warned that cuts to nursing staff at satellite addiction clinics will set the services back 12 to 15 years.
“It is primary care in reverse,” national secretary Peter Hughes told TheJournal.ie.
“When the satellite clinics were set up about 15 years ago they were progressive and nurses were a key element. They provide support and counselling, as well as a lot of advice around infection prevention and control. They also ensure clients are attending their appointments.”
According to the PNA, the nurses’ absence will lead to more infection and eventually more pressure on Emergency Departments.
RTÉ reports that the HSE’s review and reconfiguration means the number of agency nurses assigned to the addition centres will be halved in the Dublin Mid-Leinster region from today.
Hughes said there will be no nurses in the 16 satellite clinics in the region as a result of the cuts, affecting up to 500 clients.
The centres, which were set up as places to support people suffering from addiction problems, will now be manned by GPs and general assistants.
In a statement this morning, the HSE said the needs of the service users will be accommodated though a GP referral and appointment system. It said clients “will not be compromised clinically by this change”.
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This is so wrong.When you hear that the “leader” of this country is on €200k a year , higher than any other EU minister .It just shows the smug ugly dirty greedy jet set of this tiny rich mans land that couldn’t care less about the ordinary working person of today. All that matters is that the Bondholders still have there riches kept safe for eternity by the good people of Ireland.
Front line staff ought to be the very last people to be effected. Why is it the they are first? How much money was paid to AGENCIES for providing nurses in the year to date. Nurses have the most intensive jobs on a hand – on basis to service the people that the HSE was supposed to service —- the Patients.
Nurses should lobby their union leaders to do away with the Croke Park Agreement so that saving can be made by reducing the number of middle managers, and the cost of administrative and other non-front-line staff.
The fact of the matter is that we, the people of Ireland, cannot afford to pay for everything we are currently paying for. The CPA is protecting those who are willing to hide behind the excellent front-line workers in the Civil Service.
Dennis , unless I am missing something , I disagree with you. The issue , for me , is that the pen pushers are being protected and front line staff are not . The only rational conclusion is that it is those very same penpushers make the “clerical” decision as to where the cuts are made. I do not care what it costs , get advisors in [ accountants ? ] and ascertain where the cu?ts should fall bearing in mind that this is a service for Patients [ I never thought I would advocate the bringing in of outside advisors , but the HSE has forced this position]. Their attitude translate as ” Mind the clerical staff and forget the Patients “. This is lunacy. Are we to believe that in a well run Private Enterprise that the front line people are the first to be axed ? Sorry to go on and on but this is wrong. The people to decide whose job is to go are the people whose jobs ought to be the first in line . The secretariat.
There are simple choices here.
The first is to cut front line services to the public while maintaining the status quo in the public service.
The second is to keep front line services the same at all costs and find the cuts in better work practices, better admin, procurement policies and salary reductions if necessary.
It is madness that we are choosing the first option!
shocking for people depending on the services and nurses who sent years training… and as for students of psychiatric nursing they may have no choice but to emigrate…. i am losing all my children to other countries because of the management of affairs in this country by this government and the last
regretfully providing a service is over shadowed with selfish obsession of pay and condisions at every turn.
Every single comment so far is concentrated on the issue of employment rather than the patients and this is becoming rather typical in the so called Caring Professions.
Maybe the HSE got it perfectly right on this occasion !
actually i did say it was shocking for patients and nurses
As a Nurse we want to give everyone who need a a service the best we can provide, but with less an less staff on the very front line we’re finding the job almost impossible. maybe Gerry Fitzgerald mgt like to join us might open your eyes t
As a Nurse we want to give everyone who need a a service the best we can provide, but with less an less staff on the very front line we’re finding the job almost impossible. maybe Gerry Fitzgerald mgt like to join us for a night might open your eyes, guality and and adequate staff give PATIENTS the best service possible
have your say