Nurses begin work to rule over staffing

Nurses at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda seeking an improvement in staffing levels are to begin industrial action this morning.

According to a statement released yesterday, the work to rule by members of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) at the hospital has been brought about by the North Eastern Health Board's failure to address issues of staffing. They are seeking one additional nurse per shift. The statement listed grievances such as a situation where five nurses a day and four nurses at night "struggle to provide emergency care" for 35,000 patients per year.

Around a third of attendances at the hospital are children under 12 who must share facilities with adults, the statement said. Patients with head injuries often wait for over two hours to be treated and others were forced to stay overnight in the A&E Department because of the staff problems, according to the INO.

Commenting on the industrial action yesterday, INO Industrial Relations Officer, Ms Patsy Doyle, said members had reached "breaking point".

"They are committed to providing a safe service, but the NEHB will not hear what they are saying on behalf of their patients," she said.