Nurses 'have no confidence in management' to implement proposals to stop overcrowding
The Minister for Health Leo Varadkar says he is confident next week's planned industrial action by nurses at seven Emergency Departments can be averted.
Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation voted against proposals aimed at resolving overcrowding problems, because they say they are not confident they would be implemented on a 24 hour, seven-days-a-week basis.
Representatives of 26 Emergency Departments will meet in Dublin tomorrow ahead of action next week.
Minister Varadkar says the resources are available to ensure the recommendations can be fully implemented.
He said: "Well certainly the resources will be there to implement these proposals.
"We may not have resources to do other things, we certainly don't have the resources to do what we would like to do in the health service in one year, but the financial resources will be there to implement these proposals."
Rolling two-hour stoppages at the seven hospitals are due to go ahead on Thursday, January 14, with further action on January 26.
The General Secretary of the INMO Liam Doran says staff voted against proposals, because they did not think the changes would have been brought in.
He said: "Quite clearly the memnbers are saying to us 'look, what's on paper may be fine, but in practice nothing is changing. Our practice is being compromised, patient care has been compromised and we're simply not persuaded that the proposals will be applied on a consistent 24/7 basis'.
"We have no confidence in management to do so."
