Industrial action to commence on March 26th.
Tuesday , March 11th 2025: The Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) said today (Tuesday) that it has given notice to the Heath Service Executive of the commencement of industrial action by PNA members on March 26th in response to the continued failure of the HSE to exempt mental health services from proposed cuts in nursing numbers and unacceptable restrictions on recruitment.
As a result of the Pay and Numbers Strategy, staffing in mental health services has been reduced to unsustainable levels and service delivery and development has been impacted across the mental health services.
PNA General Secretary, Peter Hughes said talks with the HSE, under the auspices of the WRC, had reached an impasse and the union has been left with no option but to embark on industrial action.
Under its Pay and Numbers Strategy the HSE refuses to acknowledge the 700 vacancies that existed in mental health services on the basis that these posts were unfilled before the strategy was given its effective date of December 31st, 2023.
“We totally reject the HSE’s position that these posts are obsolete when in fact they are currently filled through overtime, agency, and retired staff. The reality of the Pay and Numbers Strategy is that it is a blunt instrument which will effectively wipe out over 700 vacant psychiatric nursing posts from mental health.”
“The current level of staffing shortages has left services hugely reliant on overtime and agency to maintain basic services and is severely impacting on service development, which is contrary to Sharing the Vision, the government’s mental health strategy.”
“We are extremely concerned that continued adherence to the Pay and Numbers Strategy, incorporating a huge reduction in staffing numbers, will result in the closure of Adult Mental Health Services and CAMHS services and severely curtail community services. The PNA’s own research revealed that numerous services are carrying vacancies of between 20% to 30%.” “This situation is unsustainable if we are to meet the growing and complex demands for mental health services. With this level of staff shortage our members are burned out, frustrated, and fed up with continuously holding services together with minimal resources.”
“PNA has been engaging under the auspices of the WRC in relation to the impact of the Pay and Numbers Strategy and the ramifications of the 700 vacancies in mental health services.”
"Whilst there was some progress made through this process, i.e. the employment of the majority of the 2024 graduates and the payment of some Temporary Hire Appointments (THA’s), we reached an impasse at our last engagement on the 21st of February 2025 whereby the HSE management team could not address the matters on which we were seeking commitments. We were informed by the management team that they do not have the decision-making powers to give commitments regarding the issues raised by PNA.”
These include for example:
- An acceptance by HSE that nursing posts which potentially were vacant on the 31st of December 2023 are exempt from the Pay and Numbers Strategy.
- A written commitment that all 2025 psychiatric nursing graduates will be offered permanent contracts as per the 2024 commitment and separate from the pay and numbers controls.
- A definitive date when all derogated CAMHS posts would be filled as numerous staff are awaiting contracts since July 2024.
- Commitment that the recruitment process, currently in place, needs to be more efficient and streamlined as some areas have seen delays in filling posts of up to eight months.
Mr Hughes concluded “We cannot allow the decimation of the mental health services. The strategy, as it currently stands, would destroy decades of work and development in mental health. Due to this, we have been left with no option but to commence industrial action from Wednesday the 26th of March.”
Ends
Media Contact : Derek Cunningham 086-2430535
