The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has served notice of industrial action on HSE West and North West.
This comes as public health nurse management in Galway have voted to take industrial action following the failure of the HSE to implement recommendations to help ease the extreme pressure on staff in the area.
The pressure Directors of Public Health Nursing are under in Galway is intolerable. The national average for a catchment area for a Director of Public Health Nursing is 150,000 people while in Galway that average is increasing towards 285,000 people. The population of Galway is unique compared to other parts of the country, with a large geographic area with an urban-rural mix, island populations and a growing population.
Despite local engagement and two conciliation conferences that took place under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission, no meaningful resolution has been reached, with the additional resources required to maintain safe and effective care for the people of Galway not being put in place.
The fact that staffing and resources in the area are not at the level which they should be means that patient care is falling short. The health and safety of INMO members in public health nursing in Galway is significantly compromised. Public health nurse management in Galway are at a juncture now where they feel like they have no other option but to engage in industrial action.
HSE West and North West must now urgently and meaningfully engage with the INMO in relation to the matters at the centre of this dispute. The provision of putting all resources that are necessary to provide a safe public health nursing service for the people of Galway must be a priority. If the HSE fail to engage, regrettably this industrial action will escalate over the coming weeks.