At least 10 assaults occur every day in Irish hospitals, an Oireachtas committee has heard.
Representatives from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organization (INMO) appeared before a Joint Committee on Health on the Welfare and Safety of Workers in the Public Health Service on Wednesday, calling for more support to ensure the safety and welfare of its members.
In her opening remarks, INMO Secretary General Phil Ní Sheaghdha told the committee that between January 2021 and October 2022 there were over 9,000 assaults – almost double the HSE.
Pediatric nurse Sylvia Chambers told the committee hearing that, like many of her colleagues, she did not feel safe in her job.
“I can say I have never experienced aggression like we have in the past few years, particularly on a daily basis,” Ms Chambers, who is employed at a busy Dublin hospital, said, reports Breaking News.
A lack of security measures, overcrowding and understaffing were some of the reasons Ms Chambers cited for the safety concerns of nurses and midwives in Irish hospitals.
“Staff are leaving due in bulk because they are stressed. In the last 18 months we’ve had 30 nurses resign from our emergency department. We are on our knees when it comes to our staffing levels,” reports Breaking News.
Ms Ní Sheaghdha also pointed out that over 63 per cent of all assaults on HSE staff are committed against nurses and midwives.
“Between January 2021 and October 2022, there were 5,593 reported assaults against nursing and midwifery staff,” reports Breaking News.
Ms Ní Sheaghdha stressed that it is the Health Service Executive (HSE)’s responsibility to protect their employees in the workplace and that the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) should be adequately resourced to investigate verbal and physical abuse to be carried out in hospitals.
“According to data from the Health and Safety Authority, HSE staff reported 4,796 workplace related physical, verbal, and sexual assaults in 2021, yet only 446 investigations and inspections took place (HSA, 2021). These statistics cannot be ignored, and urgent action is required,” reports Breaking News.
Overcrowding only aggravates the already difficult conditions for nurses and midwives.
“We often describe our hospitals as pressure-cooker type environments and the circumstances our members found themselves working since last July have borne out this description. Within the acute hospital service, nurses and midwives are working in impossible conditions to provide the safest care possible, but their workplaces are dangerous,” reports Breaking News.
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