Targeted action to commence on Tuesday 17th September.
Thursday 5th September. 2024 : The Psychiatric Nurses Association PNA is to begin targeted industrial action in response to the refusal by the HSE to recruit new graduate psychiatric nurses in a number of areas throughout the country.
The decision to commence the industrial action on Tuesday 17th September was taken following a meeting of the PNA Board today.
PNA General Secretary, Peter Hughes said the issue of the recruitment of up to 300 new graduate nurses was part of the wider dispute with the HSE on the issue of chronic understaffing throughout the mental health services with is impacting daily on the delivery of services.
“With these new graduate nurses now coming onstream the failure of the HSE to recruit them into our mental health services in a number of areas of the country means they will be lost to the private sector and attracted to posts abroad. This cannot be allowed to happen at a time when our mental health services are struggling to cope with 700 vacancies and are being maintained through a reliance on agency staff and overtime. “
Mr Hughes said that in recent weeks PNA has postponed the commencement of industrial action twice to allow for continued engagement through the WRC on the issue of 700 outstanding vacancies across the mental health services and the failure of the HSE to lift the recruitment embargo for mental health.
“However, the issue the recruitment of new graduate nurses is time critical and if these graduates are not taken on immediately, they will be lost to our services. There is no question that given the levels of understaffing in mental health that there is scope for every graduate nurse to be taken on.
Mr Hughes said from the most recent engagement (yesterday) it is clear that the majority of areas on the country have yet to offer new graduate psychiatric nurses any permanent contracts.
“Considering that we have a historically high level of vacancies in mental health services and an underfunded service, we believe that the total lack of urgency by the HSE in making these appointments is shameful and an insult to our new graduates.”
Our mental health services need to retain as many of our new graduates as possible. Our services are dependent on every new generation of nurses to safeguard services.
“In response to this situation PNA is left with no option but to commence industrial action on Tuesday September 17th. This action will commence in mental health services in areas where all new graduates have not been offered permanent contracts. We believe that such a decision is the only way to attempt to safeguard the future of our services and our graduates”.
Mr Hughes concluded: “The provision of basic psychiatric services throughout the country, including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is reliant on both overtime and agency. This situation is unsustainable and there is real concern that the current situation will ultimately result in the closure of services. It is essential that the recruitment of graduate psychiatric / mental health nurses is exempted from any recruitment freeze and goes ahead as a matter of urgency. “
Media contact : Derek Cunningham 086-2430535
