THE INMO HAS said it is concerned that overcrowding at Tallaght Hospital is putting patients at risk – and is calling for the recruitment embargo to be lifted.
Derek Reilly of the INMO told TheJournal.ie that the union is “very concerned about Tallaght at the moment because we feel things are worse there than when HIQA were in, in 2012″.
“Patient safety is at risk there – we are afraid someone might die,” he said.
He said that in January, there were 254 people on trolleys, with another 69 people on trolleys on wards. “This is more people than when HIQA was in,” he pointed out.
He said that the nursing levels “aren’t there to care for patients” and so the union has put the hospital board on notice.
They have asked the board to cancel all elective admissions for surgery, as they “need to maintain staff and services for people who are already in there”.
The INMO is calling on the HSE to lift its embargo on recruitment of frontline staff. “We are afraid the hospital is dangerous due to overcrowding and staff shortages,” said Reilly.
“Our members in the Emergency Department are unanimous to a person that the department is not safe,” said Reilly, adding that the coronary care department and wards are also concerned.
The INMO is due to meet management in Tallaght Hospital on Friday morning.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say