INMO Criticises Hospital Bed Allocation Without Staff Increases
A further 3,352 beds have been allocated in Ireland's hospitals.
Dublin: The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has criticised the recent allocation of additional hospital beds across the country, arguing that these measures are ineffective without corresponding staff increases.
Despite being five months into the year, the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health have yet to release their funded workforce plan for 2024, indicating that the current approach will not address the problem promptly.
Recent Bed Allocations
The latest allocations include 82 beds for St. Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny and 18 beds for Kilcreene Orthopaedic Hospital. The Health Minister’s announcement of 3,352 additional beds nationwide has raised concerns among nurses and other healthcare workers who are already overwhelmed by the increasing number of patients.
The government has decided to permit additional beds, totaling 2,957 new beds and 355 replacement beds. This is in addition to the 1,015 hospital beds currently under construction.
Staffing Concerns
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha emphasised that while bed allocations are beneficial, it is crucial to clarify how these beds will be operational without sufficient staff. An acute medical or surgical bed requires at least one additional nurse, and each intensive care unit patient needs seven additional nurses. Addressing these staffing shortages is urgent.
The INMO is calling for an increase in graduate nursing and midwifery posts and the immediate lifting of the HSE’s recruitment ban on nursing and midwifery grades. The organisation contends that the Health Minister’s announcement lacks provisions for the necessary staffing increases, rendering the additional beds impractical without the workforce to support them.
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