This article is from page 1 of the 2012-04-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 1 JPG
STAFF shortages, overcrowding and continuous cuts have resulted in “dangerous conditions” for patients and staff at Ennis General Hospital.
Early last week one nurse was left alone to care for 22 acutely ill patients in the county hospital, while care assistants replaced nurses in vital areas of care. The under pressure staff are also dealing with overcrowding at the hospital, as 12 to 15 patients are regularly cared for over-night in the medical assessment unit.
Nursing staff have to be taken from other wards to care for patients in the unit, which was added as part of the hospital reconfiguration programme and is supposed to be closed at night. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Association described the situation as unacceptable stating “this level of care is dangerous for patients.”
Sources close to staff at the hospital told The Clare People that they are concerned for patients and frustrated that they do not have the time to care for patients the way they should and would like to.
INMO Industrial Relations Officer, Mary Fogarty explained there is an acute shortage of nursing staff at the Ennis hospital since the monitorium was put in place. This has been exacerbated by recent retirements.
“We are very concerned about the standard of care across the system,” she said. While the staffing freeze does not allow vacant nursing posts to be replaced, the HSE is employing care assistants through an agency at € 12 per hour in an attempt to fill the widening staffing gap.
“While care staff have a vital role to play they cannot replace nurses. They do not have the education or experience,” she said.
Ms Fogarty was also critical of the reconfiguration process that took 25 beds out of Ennis General Hospital without having replacement infrastructure in place. “This is a very inefficient way of managing,” she said.