Dublin, Ireland – On World Patient Safety Day, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organization (INMO) has issued a pressing call to the Department of Health to proactively prepare for the upcoming winter months and avert a healthcare crisis in Ireland.
INMO General Secretary, Phil Ni Shegda, highlighted the alarming statistics: over 5,210 patients, including 100 children, are currently admitted to Irish hospitals without proper beds. This dire situation, according to Ni Shegda, fundamentally compromises patient safety.
“Nurses and midwives are bracing for yet another winter season, cognizant that they often provide care under perilous conditions. The plight of a patient spending more than six hours on a trolley is heart-wrenching,” Ni Shegda expressed.
In response to this crisis, the Emergency Department Taskforce is set to convene soon. INMO has urgently called upon the Health Service Executive (HSE) and hospital groups to collaborate on concrete plans to enhance patient safety in the approaching months.
The critical shortage of nurses across the country’s hospitals is another pressing concern cited by INMO. They assert that this shortage is contributing to inadequate patient care and insist that immediate actions be taken to address this issue.
With winter on the horizon, INMO’s appeal underscores the need for preemptive measures to ensure the welfare of patients and healthcare workers alike.