Waterford hospital suspends services over strike

Threatened industrial action by junior doctors tomorrow has led to the cancellation of all non-emergency services at Waterford Regional Hospital.

The South Eastern Health Board (SEHB) said all outpatient visits and non-emergency theatre procedures would be affected.

A meeting between the SEHB and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) this afternoon failed to resolve the issue. Emergency cover will be provided by consultants.

Cancer services, including chemotherapy, breast clinics and outpatient cancer services, will function as normal and scheduled dialysis will not be affected.

Non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) at Waterford Regional are due to implement an indefinite work-to-rule tomorrow in a dispute over new rostering arrangements.

Junior doctors will withdraw tomorrow from out-of-hours on-call and emergency services as part of the action.

According to the IMO the new rosters will involve junior doctors working a greater number of hours outside the 9-5 period, curtailing the time for vital training by consultants takes place.

The IMO said the changes would affect the standard of training, as it could reduce junior doctors' training time by as much as eight hours a week in some cases.

However, the health board says the junior doctors' real objection is to a fall in income as a result of the implemention of EU legislation restricting the amount of hours NCHDs can work.

The Health Service Employers' Agency said that the reduction in working hours was to ensure compliance with the EU Working Time Directive and they criticised the strike action.

Today the Labour Relations Commission said it was available to both parties should they wish to start discussions.

Tomorrow’s action will affect all units in Waterford Hospital except Accident and Emergency.

The IMO is posting strike ballot papers to more than 3,000 NCHDs this week and the result will be known within three weeks.

The action comes at a time when the State is facing widespread industrial action by NCHDs, with junior doctors at University College Hospital Galway, Tullamore General, St James’s in Dublin, St Joseph’s in Clonmel, Wexford General St and Luke’s in Kilkenny, considering industrial action.