Emergency medical staff seek parity with recent nurses’ deal

Thousands of doctors, healthcare assistants, radiographers, ambulance personnel and clerical staff are to seek similar benefits to those secured by nurses in emergency departments as part of a deal to avert a recent strike.

Siptu, Impact and the Irish Medical Organisation said on Friday they had or would be lodging formal claims looking for parity with the deal agreed by the Department of Health and the HSE with emergency department nurses.

Under this agreement nurses in emergency departments are to receive an additional two days leave in 2016 and 2017 in lieu of missed meal breaks. In addition, a €1,500 educational bursary was to be put in place for personnel who stayed in post for one year. Additional promotional positions for nurses in emergency departments were also to be established.

Siptu said it had submitted a formal claim seeking similar benefits for healthcare assistants, radiographers, ambulance personnel and porters. A spokesman for Impact said it had also lodged a claim looking for similar terms to be put in place for its members – largely clerical and administrative staff in emergency departments in hospitals who also work on a 24/7 basis.

The Irish Medical Organisation also said it would seek a broadly similar arrangement for consultants and non-consultant hospital doctors in emergency departments.