Nurses protest at workload and staff shortages at Midlands Regional Hospital

The protest, organised by members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) will take place at the front gate of Mullingar Hospital from 1pm to 2pm.

The INMO say the Mullingar hospital is facing a shortage of 50 nurses, which is putting staff under pressure, and the hospital is currently facing 50 unfulfilled nursing shifts in the next two weeks.

They union says patient attendance has increased, and hospital management need to urgently recruit staff and be “realistic” about the hospitals current capacity.

The hospital is aiming to recruit 50 nurses, but the INMO say the posts will not be filled until the end of August, and assistance from St. Francis Private Hospital has been sought.

A nurse in the hospital said: “I have worked in this hospital for decades and have never seen things so bad. The waves of Covid were genuinely draining and we are now facing huge volumes of patients.

“We simply don’t have the staff to do the job safely. We’ve got a brilliant team in the hospital, but we’re at our wits’ end. We’re simply exhausted. I’m worried that patient care is being put at risk.

“Many of my colleagues are sadly now simply thinking of leaving the hospital, or even the profession.”

INMO members are calling on hospital management to restrict services, close beds and divert scheduled care to private hospitals in order to protect standards of care, patients, and staff.

INMO assistant director of industrial relations Albert Murphy said: “It has been an incredibly challenging year and our members have had enough. They are facing increasing demands with too few staff. They are rightly concerned that patient care is being compromised.

“Hospital management need to urgently recruit the necessary staff, but they need to be realistic about the hospital’s current capacity. Work needs to be scaled back to ensure safe care.

“That means closing beds in the short run and making decisions on which care has to be prioritized. Our members cannot be expected to work in environments which compromise their health and safety.”

A spokesperson for the Regional Hospital Mullingar and the Ireland East Hospital Group (IEHG) said it “regrets today’s actions by hospital staff”.

The group said it understands their frustrations and acknowledges that the emergency department continues to be “extremely busy”.

The spokesperson said: “Recruitment at RHM remains a priority for Hospital Management with additional staff commencing over the coming weeks.”

The hospital is urging those who do not require urgent care to see a GP, MiDoc, or consider attending the minor injury unit in Longford as there are fewer waiting times.

The spokesperson said: “The hospital continues to ask the public to please consider their care options. Patients with a GP appointment should in the first instance attend their GP.

“Alternatively, MiDoc is also available. Patients with minor injuries should consider attending the minor injury unit in Longford, where waiting times can be significantly less than in the hospital’s Emergency Department."