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07/06/2016
Psychiatric Nurses Vote For Industrial Action
Psychiatric nurses have voted in favour of industrial action in a dispute with the Health Service Executive (HSE) over recruitment and retention of nurses throughout the mental health services.
In a national ballot, nurses voted 87% in favour of industrial action up to and including strike action. The Board of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) will meet on Thursday 09 June to decide on the timetable and form of industrial action.
PNA General Secretary Designate, Peter Hughes, said: "Nurses are not prepared to stand by and watch the demand for acute and community mental health services growing while knowing that this demand cannot be met with the current levels of understaffing with up to 600 nursing vacancies currently and a further 400 to arise from forecasted retirement.
"This situation is simply unsustainable, and staff have been left struggling to maintain acute and community services with no prospect of investing in the development of urgently needed new services.
"The PNA met with Health Minister Simon Harris last week and set out clear proposals to address both the immediate staffing shortages throughout the services and also plan for the growing demand for newly qualified psychiatric nurses which is looming over the coming years.
"We need to see a comprehensive plan from the HSE that will include measures to retain existing staff in our services and significantly grow the number of student training places for psychiatric nursing."
(MH)
In a national ballot, nurses voted 87% in favour of industrial action up to and including strike action. The Board of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) will meet on Thursday 09 June to decide on the timetable and form of industrial action.
PNA General Secretary Designate, Peter Hughes, said: "Nurses are not prepared to stand by and watch the demand for acute and community mental health services growing while knowing that this demand cannot be met with the current levels of understaffing with up to 600 nursing vacancies currently and a further 400 to arise from forecasted retirement.
"This situation is simply unsustainable, and staff have been left struggling to maintain acute and community services with no prospect of investing in the development of urgently needed new services.
"The PNA met with Health Minister Simon Harris last week and set out clear proposals to address both the immediate staffing shortages throughout the services and also plan for the growing demand for newly qualified psychiatric nurses which is looming over the coming years.
"We need to see a comprehensive plan from the HSE that will include measures to retain existing staff in our services and significantly grow the number of student training places for psychiatric nursing."
(MH)
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