Home / Health / Naas Hospital Nurses Threaten Strike Over Staffing Crisis
Naas Hospital Nurses Threaten Strike Over Staffing Crisis
13 Feb
Summary
- Nurses at Naas General Hospital may escalate action to work stoppages.
- Staffing deficits are due to unfilled maternity leave and rising ED attendance.
- Nurses cite burnout, stress, and compromised patient care quality.
Nurses at Naas General Hospital have threatened to escalate their industrial action to include work stoppages. Members of the Irish Nursing and Midwives Organisation (INMO) have been participating in a work-to-rule since Monday, citing unacceptable and unsafe staffing levels.
The union indicated that the action could intensify if the Health Service Executive (HSE) does not address the ongoing staffing concerns. Specifically, the INMO highlighted a failure to fill maternity leave vacancies and a lack of increased staffing to accommodate a more than 25% rise in Emergency Department attendance over the past three years.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha stated that the hospital, experiencing population growth and serving an increasing number of patients from Dublin, has not kept pace with demand. Nurses report being overworked, experiencing burnout and stress, and fear they cannot provide safe patient care. Highly skilled theatre nurses are also owed significant hours of back time.
The HSE acknowledged the industrial action and stated its willingness to engage constructively with the INMO to find a resolution. They noted recent workforce growth and plans for long-term measures to strengthen nursing capacity, though the INMO deems current proposals insufficient.
