IMPACT members in University Hospital Galway (UHG) have voted in favour of industrial action in response to management plans to move physiotherapists and social workers out of their specialist facilities to expand the hospital's A&E department.
IMPACT assistant general secretary Padraig Mulligan has said that hospital management is running the risk of creating another crisis by trying to impose a short-term solution to the shortage of emergency department space. Padraig said the proposed measures will directly affect the number of patients being discharged home.
In a ballot of members at the hospital which concluded on Monday (20th July), 94% voted in favour of the action. A meeting of members to discuss next steps will take place tomorrow (Wednesday 22nd July).
Under management proposals, which staff at the hospital first heard about through the media, physiotherapists would be moved from a purpose-built clinic and into a smaller work space currently used by social workers. The social work department has been asked to move into a temporary prefab.
Padraig said that in attempting to address a problem of capacity at the hospital, management risked breaching one set of HIQA standards in order to meet the requirements of another set of HIQA standards. “These are state of the art facilities where physiotherapists and social workers have been able to deliver a first class service in appropriate facilities. It makes no sense to displace these services.
“The problem is one of capacity in the emergency department, and attempts to address that problem have been very poorly handled by management so far. The ballot result reflects the concern of our members, and their determination to protect the services they deliver” he said.
