Attacks on Nurses in our hospitals on Increase

Dublin South West TD Seán Crowe has that the number of assaults on nurses in hospitals across the country is unacceptable, and that hospitals and wider society must resolve to ensure that these attacks are stopped.

Crowe made his comments following the revelation that nurses were the prime victim to 70% of all the assaults on hospital staff over the past 10 years.

Teachta Seán Crowe said:

“Nurses are on the frontline when it comes to roll out of care and services in our hospitals. They are underpaid, understaffed and asked to work in some of the most appalling and overcrowded conditions.

“The figures provided by the HSE make for stark reading. Between 2008 and the end of November this year of 10,744 staff reporting  assaults ranging from actual harm to verbal threats  and ‘near misses’.

“This year alone, 61% of total assaults reported in our hospitals were from Nurses.

“Nurses play a key role in the delivery of our public health services, and for them to face such high levels of assault is completely unacceptable.

“The recruitment and retention crisis in our health service is leading to understaffing and this must be a contributing factor to the rising level of assaults.

“The HSE, and the Minister for Health, need to do more and increase measures to reduce the number of assaults on our nurses.

“As the employer the HSE clearly need to employ more security staff in accident and emergency departments to ensure hospital employees are and feel protected.

“All of us in society need to make sure that staff who are on the front line of our health service are able to do their jobs without the very real fear of assault. The message needs to go out loud and clear that attacks on hospital staff including nurses are wrong and need to end. “

ENDS