Reduced public health nurse service in Ballinasloe area
Public health nurse services in the Ballinasloe area will be reduced from today, the INMO has confirmed.
The INMO on Monday warned that public health nursing (PHN) services in Galway were facing emergency closure from today (Friday) due to HSE refusal to fill two thirds of the posts.
Ballinasloe and Portumna public health nurse services typically have six nurses, but are now facing four vacancies (due to maternity leave, resignation and reassignment) which have not been filled due to a recruitment freeze.
Local public health nurses, their managers and the INMO on Monday notified their employers that the service will be forced to shut today (Friday) unless the vacant posts were filled.
However, following discussions the national HSE granted permission to fill two posts in the area, one Public Health Nurse post- (Temporary) and one Community Registered General Nurse post (Temporary).
The INMO, however, said pending the filling of these posts, the deficit in staffing still remains at the same level and as a result the INMO members have advised that the following services will be curtailed in East Galway:
Public health nurses will not be in a position to attend to chemotherapy disconnections in the community and therefore these patients will have to remain in or return to the hospital to have this procedure carried out. Public health nurses will be unable to carry out metabolic screening (heel test) on new-borns over the weekend and therefore some mothers and their infants will have to return to the hospital to have this procedure carried out.
The public health nurses service in East Galway will be unable to accept complex care clients into the community in the next week.
Public health nurses will also not be in a position to accept bookings for new child health clinics but will finish all existing clinics booked for next week.
On Monday, prior to the INMO Industrial Relations Officer in Galway, Anne Burke, said:
“No health service can function with only a third of the usual staff. Local management and frontline staff have tried their best to keep the show on the road, but it’s clearly reached a tipping point.
“Services are closing unnecessarily because of bureaucratic blindness. Senior managers in the HSE and the regional community health organisation need to replace these staff urgently to ensure patients do not suffer.
On Wednesday, the Community Healthcare West section of the HSE said: "Community Healthcare West are aware of the shortage of nursing cover in the Ballinasloe and Portumna areas. We are currently working on a plan that will provide an increased level of nursing cover".
Speaking this morning, Fianna Fáil TD for Roscommon/Galway Eugene Murphy welcomed the fact that the HSE has now approved two out of the four required positions for the public health nursing services in Ballinasloe and Portumna so the planned closure of the County Galway PHN services will not go ahead today as scheduled.
“I welcome the progress now made on the issue. I have been informed by the INMO that the HSE has now approved two out of the four required positions for the public health nursing services in Ballinasloe and Portumna so the planned closure of the County Galway PHN services will not go ahead today as scheduled.
“I understand that the INMO will not be able to recruit people for another week or so which means there will be a reduced service in that time. These posts must be filled as quickly as possible and indeed the other two remaining posts also need to be filled to bring staffing to full complement levels although this is a most welcome start.