Affordable Planned Growth in Health Service Levels During 2019

Letter from PNA to Mr Stephen Mulvaney Chief Financial Officer HSE 27th June 2019

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PNA / HSE Update

Dear Members,

Following our Labour Court hearing last week, the court believed that the parties would benefit from further engagement. Subsequently the PNA met with the HSE, Department of Health and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform yesterday (27/02/19) in relation to the measures required regarding the Enhanced Nursing role and other issues to be resolved.

The parties are to reflect on the matters raised at yesterday’s meeting and are to reconvene tomorrow.

Further updates will issue in due course

Yours sincerely

Peter Hughes
General Secretary

Arrangements for National Rally to Stand with Nurses and Midwives

6th Feb. 2019

Dear Members,

Please see below details for Saturday’s March

For those with a Facebook account the event page is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/430039614400753/

We'll be meeting at 12:30 at the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square. We'll move off from there, marching down O'Connell Street and finishing at Merrion Square for a few short speeches.

The full route for the march is here: www.bit.ly/RallyRoute9Feb

Anyone with mobility issues can join either at the Custom House or at the end of the march at Merrion Square.

Anyone organising buses should arrive at Mountjoy Square to drop off members, who can then walk easily to Parnell Square for the assembly of the march. Once they have dropped people off, buses should drive immediately to Wilton Terrace. They can pick up marchers at the other end of the protest.

Please circulate widely and bring as many supporters as possible

Thank you for your cooperation

Yours sincerely

Peter Hughes
General Secretary

UPDATE ON ESCALATION OF CAMPAIGN OF ACTION

Dear Members,

The Officer Board met today and a decision was taken to extend the period that members will not make themselves available for additional hours e.g. Overtime.

To include:

* Long Day Shift tomorrow, Tuesday 5th February (not including night duty)

* Wednesday 6th, 24 hours from start of morning shift and including night duty

* Thursday 7th - 24 hours from start of morning shift and including night duty.

A National Rally with the INMO to Stand with Nurses and Midwives will take place Saturday 9th @ 12.30pm congregating at the Garden of Remembrance, Dublin 1. Update to follow.

Please contact you local PNA Committee or Head Office with any queries

Thank you for your co-operation

Peter Hughes
General Secretary

Letter to Members re Direction re INMO's Strike Days

24 th January 2019

Dear Colleagues

Over the past week we have received numerous calls from our members working within the General Services and how they should be directed on the dates selected for Strike Action by the INMO i.e. January 30 th , February 05 th and February 07 th .

Firstly, it is our utmost intention that we both support and respect the INMO's Strike Action and both Unions have been communicating on a continuous basis to ensure that this is the case. As I am sure you understand we would ask that all members in General Services, affected by Strike Action, do not take any steps that may impact negatively on their nurse colleagues. With this in mind, we would request all members in the services to take all reasonable steps to not be rostered or working on the days of Strike Action. This would require seeking a change in roster so that the strike days fall on your day off or seeking annual leave for these days.

This has been discussed with the HSE at a National Level. They have assured us that any request made will be considered as a priority and granted in all genuine circumstances. We would ask that any nurse that is refused this that PNA head office is notified immediately so we can attempt to rectify the situation.

Yours sincerely

General Secretary

Update on PNA meeting with the Department of Health and HSE

15 th January 2019

Dear Colleagues,

A PNA delegation met with the Department of Health and HSE today 15 th January 2019 in relation to our Recruitment and Retention dispute.

The employer confirmed and acknowledged the seriousness of the current situation; however, they were not forthcoming with any proposals to avert action.

The PNA outlined the impact on service delivery and patient care as a result of the non-implementation of Vision for Change i.e. the removal of 76% of beds with the development of only 30% of Community Services. To currently maintain theses inadequate and minimal services, the Mental Health Services have an unsustainable reliance on Agency and Overtime as a consequence of the inability to recruit and retain nurses. The HSE spend € 1 million on Agency and € 300,000 per week in the Mental Health Services. This over reliance on Agency and Overtime is detrimental to the provision of a comprehensive Mental Health Service.

In this context a follow-on meeting has been arranged for next Monday 21 st January, at which the employer has committed to bring forward proposals.

Our NEC will meet on Friday 18 th January at 10.30am in the Midlands Hotel, Portlaoise.

Our campaign of escalating action commences on the 31 st January comprising of the following:

•  PNA members will not be available to work additional hours (Overtime) on 31 st January and the 01 st February.

•  PNA members will not be available to work additional hours (Overtime) on the 05 th 06 th and 7 th February.

•  PNA members will Strike on 12 th 13 th and 14 th February 2019.

Yours sincerely

Mr Peter Hughes

General Secretary

Update on Industrial Action - Recruitment and Retention Crisis

Dear PNA Members,

As you are aware the PNA recently conducted a ballot for action up to and including strike action in pursuit of our claim for an increase in measures to sufficiently address the recruitment and retention crisis in nursing.

The result of this ballot was 95% in favour of action. This decision followed the rejection by the PNA of the totally inadequate proposals made within the Public Pay Commission report in September.

Following a meeting of the PNA Officer Board today (10/01/196) the decision has been made to commence an escalating campaign of action beginning on January 31 st .

This will comprise of the following;

• PNA members will not be available to work additional hours (i.e. overtime) on 31 st January or 1 st of February 2019;
• PNA members will not be available to work additional hours (i.e. overtime) on 5 th , 6 th and 7 th of February 2019;
• PNA members will strike on 12 th , 13 th and 14 th of February 2019.

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PNA Position re Non Nursing Staff Administration of Medication

22/11/18

Dear Colleagues,

The position of the PNA following endorsement of the NEC on 15 th November 2018 is;

‘That no PNA member will engage in the training, supervision and assessment of non-nursing staff in the area of administration of medication'

The Following is the advice from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI)

Delegation takes places where the nurse (the delegator) who has the authority for the delivery of healthcare, transfers to another person the responsibility of a particular role or activity that is normally within the scope of practice of the delegator.

When delegating a particular role or activity, the nurse must take account of several principles. The individual nurse must:

1. Ensure that the primary motivation for delegation is to service the interests and needs of the patient;

2. Assess the degree of risk involved in the delegation;

3. Ensure that the delegation is appropriate with reference to the definitions and philosophies of nursing;

4. Take into account the level of experience, competence, role and scope of practice of the person taking on the delegated task;

5. Do not delegate to junior colleagues or other HCW tasks and responsibilities that are beyond their colleagues' competence to perform.

6. Ensure appropriate assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the delegated role or activity;

7. Communicate the details of the role or activity in a clear, understandable way;

8. Decide on the level of supervision and feedback required;

9. Ensure that the practice setting supports the delegation of the role or activity. Delegation of the task should be consistent with organisational PPPGs.

10. The nurse or midwife who is delegating a particular role or activity (the delegator) is accountable for the decision to delegate. This means that the delegator is accountable for ensuring that the delegated role or activity is appropriate and that resources and supervision, where required, are available. They are also accountable for appropriate assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the delegated role or activity (Scope of Practice Framework, NMBI, 2015)

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Note to All PNA Members: 18/05/18

Dear Colleagues,

The PNA met with the Public Sector Pay Commission on Tuesday 15 th May as a follow on to our detailed submission to the Pay Commission last November. The salient points of our submission were verbally presented and re-iterated with updates since our November submission.

The key points raised were:

1 . The impact on service provision due to nursing shortages, e.g.; staffing of the 20 bedded CAMHS unit in the new National Children's Hospital. Staffing of the additional 76 beds in the new National Forensic Services. 120% bed capacity in adult mental health services due to lack of community developments.

2. Competing market forces

UK relocation recruitment packages and UK additional recruitment post Brexit

Competition from the Irish private hospitals and agencies

3. Acknowledgement by HSE testament at Oireachtas Committee meetings on the Future of Mental Health Care in Ireland, i.e.;

Head of Mental Health Division stated:

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Dispute Resolution 2016 - Members Handbook

DISPUTE SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED

Following the conclusion of our Industrial Action summer 2016 in relation to issues pertaining to the Recruitment and Retention of Psychiatric Nurses we are publishing in this magazine the important details around each issue and the outcome.

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