1. Vaccination roll out:
We have sought the precise schedule of the roll out of the vaccines in hospitals and the community. As I advised previously, we have negotiated heavily on how vaccinations should be prioritised. Now that the prioritisation is firmly agreed – the only delay or issue should be supply.
The first rollout dosages, as agreed, are for two priority groups: long-term care patients and staff, and staff in roles with direct patient contact, including those in acutes, the community and those administering the vaccination.
Here you can see the areas notified to us by the HSE scheduled for vaccination this week and next. You should be notified by your Director of Nursing/Midwifery for precise arrangements.
The INMO received several calls this week that this schedule was not being adhered to – we intervened as soon as we were advised and that was corrected. It is extremely important that you advise the INMO of any further issue. This will allow us intervene with the HSE. Again: the only limit to frontline, patient-facing staff being vaccinated should be supply of the vaccine to the country.
Following INMO intervention, the HSE have now agreed to instruct the hospital groups that they must prioritise available vaccines to frontline, patient-facing staff and in areas with the highest absence of frontline HCW to ensure staffing levels can be supported as much as possible.
4,200 qualified staff have attended the vaccinator training on the first vaccine, the training is available on HSeLanD.
Retired nurses who wish to become involved in the vaccination programme are encouraged to contact the vaccinator co-ordinators in the areas you retired from for information. Alternatively you can email the HSE nationally at covid.and@hse.ie for contact details.
Further information from HSE can be found here COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Health Professionals
2. Safety at work:
The INMO Executive Council had an emergency meeting yesterday (Friday) and agreed that we need to get a practical working policy to implement the legal obligation to protect members working in COVID-19 environments. This was based on concerns raised by members that existing policies were patchily implemented, out of date, and/or poorly communicated.
Since November 2020, the HSE has a legal obligation via the EU Biological Hazards Directive to agree protections and report on healthcare worker infections. The HSE have developed a policy on this, however the INMO is seeking a more practical and flexible protocol. This could adapt as the nature of the infection changes and set clear, direct measures to ensure safety is prioritised. In our view, that includes the responsibility to rapidly vaccinated healthcare workers.
We have set out these issues in this letter to Paul Reid (HSE CEO) and will update the INMO Executive Council of progress at their scheduled meeting next Tuesday 12th January.
3. Members with long-term COVID-related illness:
Many members have overcome the virus but are still facing long-term health impacts. If you are not getting proper supports from your employer to deal with those impacts, please contact your local INMO industrial relations team directly. We are dealing with the issues arising directly with the HSE. The new EU directive mentioned above strengthens your rights and puts extra responsibility on the employers. Contact us if you have any problems in this area and we will work to ensure your rights are upheld.
4. Safety policy changes – communication problems:
At the recent emergency meeting, the INMO Executive Council were critical of the communication staff get from their employer when policy changes or decisions are made on service provision. As part of the letter mentioned above, we have called for improved communications as policy changes.
An example of this is the HSE policy change on pregnant healthcare workers, which was made on 5 January, but was not properly notified to staff. This update to occupational health policy says that if you are a pregnant worker, you are now classed as being at least “high risk” from exposure.
This is based on the latest research, which sets out some other key factors which – if combined with pregnancy – would now mean you are classed as “very high risk”. You can see those risk factors on page 5, here. If you fall into any of these categories, it may mean that you will be required to work from home to avoid the risk. If you are pregnant, I would advise you strongly to read the linked document and notify your manager. If you have any difficulty obtaining the necessary protections, contact your local INMO industrial relations team.
5. Childcare:
The lack of childcare continues to be a major problem for members as schools have been closed again. The government position is that childcare services and childminders are permitted to remain open for essential workers, which includes all nurses and midwives. In addition, government policy is that a household of an essential worker, without an existing childcare arrangement, can form a bubble with another household for the purpose of providing childcare. This clearly does not cover all situations and leaves the provision of childcare uncatered for in most situations faced by nurses and midwives. Every family is different, so we have consistently said that nurses and midwives need a package of measures to choose from in this regard. The INMO has repeatedly called for childcare options for members affected by school closures. We have sought that schools remain open for frontline workers (as was the case in UK when school closures were introduced for public health reasons), for the expansion of the after-school care programme to the full day, or for payment for childminding costs.
Following intensive negotiation, a HSE HR policy has been agreed, which will set out that:
- Employers must consider a wide range of flexible working options for staff affected by school closure (such as shift changes, staggered start/stop times, virtual clinics etc.)
- Where “all alternative options have been explored and none of these options are found to be feasible”, staff may have to stay at home to care for their children. This will be regarded as working from home (not as leave) and staff may be assigned remote work (potentially outside of their core duties).
- In case of dispute over whether options have been explored, the HSE will set out a process/form to evaluate the matter.
The full document on this issue has not yet been published by the HSE, but will be published on Monday here.
INMO members have stressed the importance of as many options as possible being made available for nurses and midwives to allow staff with children to attend work. We have vigorously pursued this issue with the HSE and government and will continue to do so. Two further meetings are scheduled between all health sector trade unions and HSE and government on Monday.
Finally, here is a summary of direct INMO appearances and work in the media since the last notice to members. I particularly want to thank the many members who have volunteered to speak to the media and deliver strong, first-hand accounts of the situation on the ground.
There is a large volume of other issues we are dealing with – including the student/intern issue. Meetings with the Department of Health on this matter are ongoing and our student reps are being updated directly.