BYCATRIONA GALLEN
PATIENTS at Letterkenny General Hospital have not been adversely affected by the nurses dispute over the weekend.
The work to rule strike action which began last Monday has slowed services at Letterkenny General Hospital according to a HSE spokeswoman but patients have been treated over the weekend with few delays.
Nurses are participating in a nation-wide strike action for a 10.5 per cent pay rise and a 35 hour working week. Nurses are no longer answering the telephone or using computers. The North West Irish Nurses Organisation's industrial manager, Mr Noel Treanor said last week that nurses were managing to spend more time with patients since they decided to work to rule.
The HSE spokeswoman admitted that "things are moving at a slower pace" but she said the contingency plan put in place by hospital management was working and no clinics had been cancelled so far. Administration and management staff worked extra hours over the bank holiday weekend to answer phones and deal with administration work.
As the nurses work-to-rule action enters its second week the Irish Nurses Organisation have threatened to escalate their industrial action on Wednesday in the country's acute hospitals. Nurses have threatened to 'down tools' for between one and four hours on Wednesday in some Dublin hospitals.
The Donegal Green Party North East election candidate, Frank Gallagher has also supported the INO in their demands for better pay and condemned "government propaganda against nurses"
Janette Byrne of Patients Together said: "The health system is in a terrible state but patients are not suffering more because of the nurses work-to-rule. They are waiting just as long and finding services as hard to access as they always do a situation that s completely unacceptable. It s very sad to hear HSE officials blaming nurses for a problem that never went away."
Dr Orla Hardiman, Consultant Neurologist, said "Doctors, nurses and other front line health staff are completely demoralised. Trust between the health professions and the HSE is seriously eroded. The current disputes are the result of how poorly managed the health system is. For health workers, there are no methods of communication with the HSE and the policy makers, except through industrial relations mechanisms or through the media. This is bad for the health service, bad for health workers and bad for patients."
Noelle Duddy, of Co-operating for Cancer Care (NW) said: "I personally needed to contact the hospital this week regarding my cancer concerns and my need was responded to immediately, by very kind, caring, professional nursing staff. Nurses will continue to do what they are best at doing - caring for patients. If hospitals are brought to a standstill because nurses are doing their job, which is to nurse patients, then the Health Service is very seriously ill," she said.
