As you are aware the HSE has now imposed strict curtailments in respect of recruitment and the filling of posts. They have also issued instructions to the HSE regions that the posts not physically occupied in December 2023 can no longer be considered vacant positions and are cut. No consultation has taken place with healthcare unions on this. When this announcement was made in July all unions objected and raised the issue as a disputed plan, yet there has been no change to the HSE's position despite all health sector unions opposing this and raising concerns for staff safety and by extension ability to provide safe care to patients.
For the last five months, nurses have advocated alternatives as set out in the emergency motion voted in by our delegates in May at our Annual Delegate Conference. This would involve enacting the Patient Safety (Licensing Bill) which would provide HIQA with regulatory powers for acute hospitals, currently not in place and which would have to extend to staffing levels. You can read more about why we think the Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill is so critical in yesterday’s Irish Examiner.
The INMO has supported the Framework on Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix but it is now neutered as it has not been funded properly and subject to annual financial consideration.
We reject financial constrains which interfere and prevent agreed safe staffing levels in nursing and midwifery being implemented.
Current HSE policy is undermining nurses' and midwives’ ability to provide safe patient care. Nurses and midwives tell us via our surveys and our Sensemaker platform that the HSE has failed to address nurses and midwives staffing concerns; instead, management has focused on cost-cutting measures and the workplaces are now increasingly unsafe.
The INMO considers this a breach of collective agreements in respect to staffing which we have with your employer the HSE. The commitment to fully fund and implement the safe staffing framework across all acute hospitals has been renegaded upon. Furthermore, we consider the non-inclusion of nursing and midwifery posts, that were vacant on 31st December 2023 in the vacancy rates for 2024 as a deliberate reduction/cut of nursing and midwifery posts which will render your workplaces very unsafe and expose you to increasing unsafe staffing levels.
Over 2000 posts have now been effectively abolished and this cannot simply be tolerated or accepted. Your safety at work and your ability to work and provide safe, appropriate and timely care, will not be possible and this is due to unsafe staffing levels.
In determining that we must oppose this your Executive Council members have considered every possible option but feel strongly that the only response is a strong collective one from members and that this response must be an industrial relations response.
Your INMO Executive Council have determined that this is just simply a step too far, the HSE has imposed restrictions so severe, broken staffing agreements, and disregarded the working conditions you now are expected to provide care in. As safety critical professionals we cannot tolerate this impact on patient and staff safety.
The HSE have gone further than any other government department or State agency and shown no regard for all the extra work and commitment shown by you the frontline staff, during the very recent years of the pandemic. For too long they have taken the goodwill of nurses and midwives for granted. It's time to call a halt and together with our colleagues in other unions exercise our rights to say: This is a step too far, and we will not tolerate it.
With our colleagues in other health sector unions, we will now commence our campaign of opposition to unsafe staffing levels across all areas of nursing and midwifery.
Who: Health Sector Trade Unions including the INMO
What: A campaign of resistance and protest against unsafe staffing and breach of staffing agreements
Where: Commencing with the placing of information protests at HSE headquarters at Dr Steeven’s Hospital in Dublin and Cork University Hospital. (Lunchtime protests will be arranged weekly in specific locations and all health sector unions will protest together. If your workplace is selected, you will be notified in advance by the INMO official with responsibility for your area)
We have notified your employer that the INMO will be commencing this ballot of our members for industrial action. Forsa trade union will also be commencing a ballot of all its members nationally at the same time.
All members are encouraged to also attend the meetings which will be arranged in workplaces and regions from the week of the 14th of October these will be notified to you over the next two weeks. Opportunities to ballot and balloting stations will also be notified.
We now require all members to stand as one in opposition to these breaches of agreements on staffing with the INMO, the disregard for safety at work due to unsafe staffing levels and the placing of financial restraint ahead of patient safety.
We must save our hard-fought for staffing agreements and ensure the workplaces of the future are staffed safely.
Join our campaign and fight for the rights of nurses and midwives to work in properly staffed safe environments.
We demand the highest standards in patient safety. It's time the HSE meaningfully address our concerns, so that we can best serve our patients and community.
Safe staffing saves lives and that must be more than a mantra it must be the funded policy of every health sector provider.