INMO members are holding a protest at St Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny at lunchtime today, alongside colleagues in Fórsa and SIPTU trade unions, to protest the implementation of the HSE’s recent Pay and Numbers Strategy.
The protest is being held in relation to the recruitment caps that are laid out in this strategy, and which the unions state are preventing healthcare facilities from recruiting staff to fill vacant posts.
The INMO, along with other members of the ICTU group of healthcare unions, state that the HSE’s strategy has suppressed all posts that were vacant on December 31st, 2023. This has led to the suppression of 2,000 nursing and midwifery posts. The INMO is calling for an immediate reversal of this decision, and an end to all recruitment caps for nursing and midwifery posts.
According to the INMO the current nursing vacancies in the hospital as of 3rd of September 2024 are 45 WTE (Whole Time Equivalent) posts. In December 2023 there were 44 WTE vacancies.
INMO Industrial Relations officer for the region, Grainne Walsh said
This hospital is currently missing staff for vital posts that are critical to healthcare in the region. The ability to recruit into these positions is absolutely necessary for providing a continuous and safe service in all areas of healthcare.
The very high number of vacancies in maternity services in particular is causing serious difficulties for members trying to provide safe maternity care in the hospital.
The number of unfilled posts in the hospital represents a serious risk to patients and people attending the hospital for maternity services. It is absolutely vital that these vacancies are filled as soon as possible to prevent this situation becoming more dangerous.
The dozens of vacancies here represent the minimum requirement for patient safety. This facility needs to be able to recruit into vacant posts so that a minimum level of safety can be maintained.
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