Beaumont Hospital nurses to stage lunchtime protest
Nurses working in the Emergency Department in Beaumont Hospital, will hold the first of a series of lunchtime protests at the gates of the hospital today at 1pm.
The protest is to highlight “unsafe conditions in the Emergency Department due to severe overcrowding and staff shortages”, according to a statement from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).
“Nurses are gravely concerned about the conditions that patients are exposed to during their time in Beaumont ED,” the INMO stated.
“The hospital remains one of the worst overcrowded hospitals in the country, yet nothing is being done to address this serious problem.
“During the month of November 2014, a total of 729 admitted patients waited on trolleys for an in-patient bed, the highest number nationally. This compares to 661 for the same period in 2013.
“This morning there were 33 admitted patients on trolleys awaiting a hospital bed, 27 of whom were crammed together in the Emergency Department.”
Speaking today, INMO Industrial Relations Officer, Lorraine Monaghan said: “This protest, which will be the first of a number of rolling protests, is necessary to highlight the serious problems that exist in Beaumont ED which is constantly overcrowded and understaffed.
“Our members have also sought that application be made to the INMO Executive Council to sanction a ballot for industrial action should management fail to adequately address the situation.
“Nurses working in the department are at breaking point as they are faced with unmanageable workloads and mounting pressure that they have no control over.
“The INMO is calling on the Minister for Health and the HSE to immediately bring forward funding to allow patients who have completed the acute phase of their care to move to a more appropriate setting, either at home with necessary supports, or to a community bed, to increase much needed capacity in Beaumont Hospital.”
