THE EFFECT of industrial action by psychiatric nurses across the State, which has in recent days led to the closure of some beds for acutely ill patients, looks set to worsen in coming days.
Des Kavanagh, general secretary of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), said last night the action by over 8,000 nurses is likely to escalate this week when he recommends to members at a meeting tomorrow that they begin refusing to be redeployed from community based psychiatric services to keep acute psychiatric services up and running.
Since last Wednesday the action taken by the nurses, who are members of the PNA and Siptu, has included refusing to do overtime, refusing to attend non-essential meetings and refusing to accompany patients to mental health tribunals.
Their refusal to work overtime has resulted in the closure of six beds at an acute psychiatric unit in Dublin’s St Vincent’s Hospital, the closure of a male admissions unit at Tallaght hospital on Saturday evening, the closure of an acute psychiatric unit to admissions in Naas General Hospital, and the closure of community hostels in West Cork and Dublin.
Mr Kavanagh said the ban on overtime was highlighting the serious inadequacies in staffing levels throughout the mental health services.
He said that in many cases services had been kept going in recent days by nurses in the community being redeployed to hospital based services, but this was likely to stop later this week as the dispute escalates. This would result in more bed closures.
He added that despite the ban on overtime, nurses were in some cases working 24-hour shifts in St Ita’s Hospital in Portrane, Dublin, so as to provide emergency cover.
The nurses have taken action over a new compensation scheme brought in by the Health Service Executive (HSE) for psychiatric nurses assaulted at work, which they say is totally inadequate.
The executive said yesterday the industrial action was severely hindering its ability to respond to patients who need urgent care and admission, and said it had forced it to close day care and community services, as well as beds.
Laverne McGuinness, national director of primary, community and continuing care services with the executive, said the nurses’ action was clearly designed to close beds and wards and limit important services. It was also creating avoidable anxiety and worry for patients.
She added that the HSE was making all possible arrangements to keep wards open. “However, for safety reasons, due to the refusal of psychiatric nurses to perform overtime, it has been forced to put some beds out of service,” she said.
The HSE called again on the nurses to ensure adequate and safe staffing of mental health facilities during their current industrial action. There was no sign last night of any talks being held to try to resolve the dispute.
The HSE, which has threatened to cut nurses’ pay if they continue with their action, insists the compensation scheme it introduced was approved by the Government and was put in place on the basis of a Labour Court recommendation.
Fine Gael’s spokesman on mental health Dan Neville has called on the HSE to intervene in the dispute before it is escalated.