Attention All Members

From: Liam Doran, General Secretary

Dear Colleague

As we are all well aware over 1,700 nurses/midwives have or will be retiring, before the end of this month, as part of the 3,800 staff, in total, leaving the health service.

In view of this the INMO has commenced discussions with officials, from both the HSE and the Department of Health, on possible initiatives/actions that can be initiated to protect frontline services during this difficult time.

In these discussions all options are being explored as to how we can protect the delivery of care, and your practice, in the context of this significant loss of skilled nursing/midwifery manpower.

These discussions are taking place, at national level, in addition to the discussions, now commencing at regional level, which are also aimed at determining what can be done, at local level, to protect frontline services and maintain safe practice. The first regional meeting, in HSE South, is taking place today, Thursday, 9th February 2012, with a meeting in Dublin North Leinster scheduled for 14th February 2012 and meetings, in the other two regions, are to be confirmed shortly.

Further discussions, at national level, will take place early next week and a further update will issue thereafter.

The INMO Executive Council also discussed this issue, at considerable length, when they met last Tuesday, 7th February 2012, and it was agreed that a special meeting of the Executive Council would be convened, at short notice, in the event of definite proposals emerging from either these regional or national discussions.

The Executive Council is acutely aware that the pressure, in terms of workload and maintaining safe practice, in all frontline areas of the health system has reached unsustainable levels at this time. It is our priority to ensure that some measures, which may have a short and medium term context, must be brought forward to assist members, whether in hospital or the community, to deal with this exodus of experienced staff.

We will keep you updated on this matter in the coming days.

Yours sincerely

LIAM DORAN
General Secretary