The monthly Trolleywatch figures compiled by the Irish Nurses and Midwives organisation show that numbers of patients on trolleys have almost doubled this October when compared to the same time period in 2020.  

A week has passed since I wrote to the Chief Medical Officer and the Chairperson of the National Immunisation Advisory Council asking them to recommend that nurses, midwives, and other patient-facing healthcare workers receive their booster vaccine as a matter of priority

At the Irish Congress of Trade Unions Biennial Delegate Conference, members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation have spoken out against violence in the workplace.

The decision by Government not to extend the COVID-19 booster vaccine programme to healthcare workers at this time is wrong. 

Responding to reports that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee has not recommended booster shots for healthcare workers at this time, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is calling on the Government to include healthcare workers in their plans for an immediate rollout of the booster vaccination programme, as a health and safety imperative. The INMO has also requested the Health and Safety Authority to reinforce the risk mitigation requirements of the Biological Hazards Directive which is now transposed into Irish law.

On World Menopause Day, the INMO has published results of a member survey on experiences of menopause, in which most respondents (82%) stated they had considered leaving work due to menopausal symptoms, with more than 1 in 10 (12%) of respondents already leaving or having left their profession as a result.