Crowe bemoans lack of public health nurses in Dublin 12

Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has said that the severe shortage of public health nurses and community registered general nurses means that nursing duties are unable to be carried out across Dublin South West.

Crowe said that the problem was especially acute in the Dublin 12 area where a waiting list is now in effect as they do not have the staff to be able to prioritise cases. 

He said “public health nurses and community registered general nurses are a vital cog in care in the community. From offering assistance to expectant mothers and newborns to helping treat the chronically ill or providing palliative care, they are simply invaluable when it comes to delivering healthcare in our communities. They literally see us from birth into our later years.”

“However, there are nowhere near enough of them. Healthcare professionals in the Dublin South West area were informed this week that staffing levels have fallen below 50% and this is having a catastrophic impact on how they are able to provide services. Across Dublin South West, from Rathcoole to Drimnagh, a ‘Prioritisation Procedure’ has been put in place so that only the most urgent cases will be seen.”

He stated “in Dublin 12, there aren’t even enough nurses to deal with those priority cases and a waiting list has had to be put in place. This is simply not good enough. It is damaging to patients and deeply unfair to the nurses who know these patients individually and feel an enormous duty of care towards them.”

He warned the government that Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly losing his seat should be a “wake-up call” to the government that “things have moved beyond even crisis point.”

“We need to radically improve matters by investing in public health nurses and community registered general nurses and give them the support and resources they need to deliver care in our communities,” he said.