Government letting down healthcare workers by not passing safety bill, says Sherlock

Labour’s Health Spokesperson Marie Sherlock has called on the Minister for Health and the HSE to pass the Patient Safety Licensing Bill.

The Dublin Central TD was speaking following the publication of the INMO Annual Survey which found that 313 nurses are reporting assaults each month.

The survey by the INMO found that one in five nurses stated that they have experienced physical violence in the workplace, while over half of nurses have reported that they had experienced aggressive behaviour.

Sherlock noted that the bill was first introduced all the way back in 2017, when Simon Harris was Minister for Health, but there has been little progress on the bill since then.

“This bill has been gathering dust, despite having gone through pre-legislative scrutiny. We have still yet to see a fully drafted bill more than six years later, while thousands of nurses are being assaulted in our hospitals every year.”

The bill would expand HIQA’s regulatory role over acute hospitals, and introduce a licensing system for all hospitals within the Irish healthcare system.

Sherlock said that under the bill, patient safety would be improved as would risk management, both factors which are crucial to staff and patient safety.

“Staffing levels are continuing to place a massive strain on our health service to deliver safe and appropriate care. It is clear from this survey that our nurses and midwives are struggling to bear the pressure of a health service that is not ensuring appropriate levels of staffing. 65% of staff are working additional unpaid hours and shockingly, 62% of staff have considered leaving their job over the last month due to stress,” she noted.

“The Minister must ensure that in addition to passing the Patient Safety (Licensing) Bill to ensure that HIQA would have the power to enforce recommendations, she must commit to ensuring that there are adequate security procedures in place in our hospitals, ensure that staff feel comfortable and supported in reporting all assaults, and that staff receive aftercare and counselling supports. The Minister must commit to safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios so that we have an effective staffing strategy which ensures staff and patient safety.”