- Details
-
Created: Friday, 22 January 2021 13:51

The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) today (Friday, 22nd January) expressed serious concerns at the delayed and sporadic roll-out of the Covid -19 vaccine throughout the mental health and intellectual disability (ID) services.
Mr Peter Hughes, PNA General Secretary, said there is growing concern by both staff and service users that they are not being sufficiently prioritised for vaccination and are not being communicated properly with on the scheduling of the vaccine delivery.
He said frontline mental health and intellectual disability staff and service users are among the most vulnerable to infection in the health services, yet they are not being prioritised and many of them are now feeling left behind in the current vaccination roll-out.
Read more ...
- Details
-
Created: Thursday, 26 November 2020 09:21

Thursday 26th November 2020 – The Annual Delegate Conference of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) – which is taking place online – has been told that despite growing demand at all levels for mental health services that the percentage of the overall health budget for mental health has actually decreased by 1%.
The conference also heard that up to 200 extra nurses will be required for the full opening of the new National Forensic Mental Health Services in Portrane , in North County Dublin next year.
Commenting on the overall percentage reduction in the mental health budget PNA General Secretary, Peter Hughes told the Conference:
“This is outrageous and clearly highlights the lack of understanding of our politicians of the inadequacy of our current services or the extent of the growing demands for mental health services at every level.”
Read more ...
- Details
-
Created: Wednesday, 14 October 2020 12:39

The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) today (Wednesday ,October 14th ) strongly criticised the Budget 2021 allocation for mental health services as totally inadequate to properly fund the Government’s Sharing the Vision mental health strategy or to meet the mounting level of demand for mental health services, much of which is resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
PNA General Secretary, Peter Hughes said the Budget allocation of €50 million to mental health was in reality an extra €38 million with €12million to go to support existing levels of services.
Read more ...
- Details
-
Created: Wednesday, 02 September 2020 14:10

Frontline EMTs continuing to receive incorrect payslips and ongoing issues must be resolved urgently
The ambulance branch of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), said today (Wednesday 2nd Sept) that frontline EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians ) are continuing to receive incorrect pay slips with payments missing despite assurances from the National Ambulance Service that it had resolved staff shortages in its payroll section.
PNA ambulance branch (NASRA) Secretary, Tony Gregg said that despite the NAS being aware two weeks ago of staff shortages that were impacting on the processing of payments to EMTs they did nothing to resolve the situation and were prepared to allow frontline EMT’s to go without these payments.
“These EMTs are frontline workers who have put their safety, and that of their families, on the line in responding to the Covid -19 crisis. They have shown extraordinary bravery and commitment to the health service and the community in the work they have undertaken since the start of the Covid crisis. Despite this, the HSE and the National Ambulance Service allowed the situation to develop and, because of the lack of payroll staff, EMT’s did not have their allowances or overtime processed and paid.”
Read more ...
- Details
-
Created: Thursday, 18 June 2020 06:24

Wednesday, June 17th: The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) said today that the full implementation of ‘Sharing the Vision – a Mental Health Policy for Everyone’ published today (Wednesday ) will be a key test for the incoming government and engagement with stakeholders, including PNA, will determine the successful delivery of the strategy.
PNA General Secretary, Peter Hughes said:
“We look forward to engagement on all elements of the implementation of the ‘Sharing the Vision’ policy published today. Despite the detailed and expert submissions PNA made to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Mental Health Care we were never consulted by the Vision for Change Review group that has now brought forward the new strategy. However, it is clear that frontline psychiatric nurses will again be key in the delivery of crucial elements of this new ‘Sharing the Vision’ policy and it will be absolutely essential that their views are heard in the implementation process if it is to succeed.”
Read more ...