Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has called on the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and the HSE to do more to protect our healthcare workers after the Oireachtas Health Committee heard of just how frequent and widespread assaults on healthcare workers are.

Between January 2021 and October 2022, there were 5,593 reported assaults against nursing and midwifery staff alone.

Teachta Crowe said:

“The stories that the Oireachtas Health Committee heard from healthcare workers and their unions this week were staggering.

“Between January 2021 and October 2022, there were 5,593 reported assaults against nursing and midwifery staff alone. This is a mind-boggling figure. At least 10 a day. And many assaults do not go reported as workers have no faith that their reports will be investigated or they are simply too busy to file a report in the first place.

“It’s simply not good enough that we are throwing healthcare workers to the wolves and then we wonder why the recruitment and retention situation has reached such an epic crisis.

“Hospitals must be safe, secure environments where both those in need of medical care and those who provide it can do so without the threat of violence or harassment.

“Bizarrely, some medical staff victims of assault are not entitled to the same special supports and paid leave as other workers, creating a hierarchy of how one healthcare worker is treated than another. This two-tier system is simply wrong and should not be allowed to continue.

“I am calling on the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and the HSE to invest in greater security, abolish the two-tier leave system for staff who have been assaulted, and seriously address the recruitment and retention crisis. Almost every problem in our health service boils down to a fundamental lack of staff and Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have simply failed to address this issue.”