NURSES HAVE a deserved reputation as caring professionals who bring comfort and hope to the lives of people at a low ebb. The high regard in which they are held is a valuable asset that should be carefully guarded.
That is why representatives of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) and Siptu should review their decision to intensify industrial action over a compensation scheme for psychiatric nurses assaulted during the course of their work. In any industrial dispute, balance and proportion are necessary ingredients to ensure continuing public support. A withdrawal of services that impacts directly on vulnerable patients, in this instance, may be viewed as excessive. Psychiatric patients and their families are already under pressure; emergency beds and services have closed and the situation is likely to worsen rapidly for this exposed group of people. It is time to step back from confrontation and re-enter negotiations.
There may be good reasons for the frustration and anger being displayed on the trade union side: excessive management delays in responding to what were regarded as realistic demands; a carry-over of annoyance from a rejection of last year's pay claims under benchmarking and a general underfunding of health services that has affected the morale of its members. But venting that frustration at the expense of sick people is as unacceptable as the aloof attitude of the Health Service Executive (HSE) that expresses "disappointment" at the banning of overtime; threatens to cut nurses' pay and speaks of minimising disruption.
Psychiatric nurses work in what can be a dangerous environment. Members were subjected to a total of 1,257 assaults in 2005. Efforts to establish an acceptable system of compensation for injuries received while at work have been going on for more than a decade. But the outcome of negotiations, earlier this year, was rejected. Industrial action followed last week and psychiatric services have since been reduced. We are now facing a situation where nurses may refuse to deploy from community care settings to keep psychiatric services running. That would be unacceptable.
A variety of voluntary organisations have expressed concern at recent developments and urged the parties to get together and resolve their differences. That may not be easy, given the complexity of the issue. But a start should be made. This dispute will only end through negotiation. Patients and families have suffered enough. The HSE and trade unions should return to the table.