Over 50 nursing and midwifery posts are being left unfilled in Tipperary University Hospital, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
Speaking ahead of a cross-trade union protest at Tipperary University Hospital, INMO Industrial Relations Officer Liam Conway said: “It is completely unacceptable that over fifty nursing and midwifery posts are being left unfilled in Tipperary University Hospital due to the limited caps the HSE have put on recruitment.
"These posts are not confined to any one department in the hospital, staffing is unsafe in the emergency department and at ward level.
“Demand for services in Tipperary University Hospital continues to grow and significant investment in staffing and bed capacity is needed to keep up with this demand. The suppression of key frontline nursing and midwifery posts in Tipperary University Hospital is leading to an increased risk to patients and staff alike.
“Nursing posts in stroke care, COPD, neurology and colorectal specialisms are being left vacant, which is doing a disservice to the people of Tipperary.
"The reduction of nursing positions in Clonmel has left critical areas understaffed and unsafe, falling significantly short of the standards outlined in the Government's own Safe Staffing Framework.
"Research based on this framework clearly demonstrates that inadequate nurse staffing leads to poorer patient outcomes, longer hospital stays, and a heightened risk of mortality.
"The frontline healthcare workers and the people of Tipperary deserve better. The Government and the HSE must urgently reverse their current pay and staffing policies to ensure safe and effective healthcare for all."
