The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has called on the HSE to properly fund NoWDOC in Donegal and Leitrim to ensure it is safe for patients and staff.
The organisation says recent commentary on delays in triage at the out-of-hours GP service points to funding issues and the need for the HSE to ensure it is safe.
INMO Industrial Relations Officer, Neal Donoghue, said prior to and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, nurses working in NOWDOC sounded the alarm in relation to the ‘serious lack of investment’.
“In the Northwest, the HSE has fundamentally failed to put in place the necessary structures and supports required to manage NoWDOC,” he said.
“Nurses are reporting that this weakness is contributing to the risks to the public in terms of delays in patients being seen by GPs.
“Nurses in the service have a vast range of knowledge and expertise in telephone triage and endeavour to provide the highest standards of service to their communities. However, the HSE continues to employ nurses on temporary contracts in insufficient numbers which is simply unsustainable given the demand for their skills and expertise elsewhere and the service needs.”
Tags:
