According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, some 50 nursing and midwifery posts are currently being left unfilled at Tipperary University Hospital, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) Industrial Relations Officer, Mr Liam Conway speaking today, ahead of a cross-trade union protest at Tipperary University Hospital, stated that the situation was currently completely unacceptable, and solely brought about, due to the limited caps the HSE have placed on recruitment, leaving staffing unsafe at both the hospitals emergency department and at ward level.
Mr Conway was adamant that the suppression of key front-line nursing and midwifery posts at Tipperary University Hospital, Clonmel, were leading to an increased risk to both patients and staff alike.
Mr Conway added that nursing posts in stroke care; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); neurology and colorectal specialisms are being left vacant; critical areas are understaffed and unsafe, while standards outlined in the Government’s own Safe Staffing Framework was leading to poorer patient outcomes, longer hospital stays and a heightened risk of mortality.
“The front-line healthcare workers and the people of County Tipperary deserve better”, Mr Conway concluded.
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