Frontline healthcare workers who point out serious and dangerous problems in the health services must be listened to and respected. Their concerns must be acted upon.
Speaking after meeting with representatives from the Irish Medical Organisation, Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, Irish Association of Emergency Medicine and SIPTU in Leinster House:
An increasing number of frontline healthcare workers are speaking out against the intolerable and dangerous situations they find themselves working in on a daily basis. I know how difficult it is for these workers from right across the disciplines to come forward. In many cases they are risking their jobs to stand up for others within the system and the patients they strive to care for. I commend their courage and honesty.
Today we heard of the often toxic environment these professionals have to make life and death decisions in. They told us of the patients who leave without the care they need, the risks of cross infection, how they have to make the decision as to who gets the bed, who gets the trolley and who has to be treated on the chair. They told us how seriously ill patients have to compete with one another for limited space and resources.”
They also tell us the solutions; an accelerated programme for reinstating the beds that were removed from the system including the recruitment of new workers, better treatment of existing workers, proper resources for primary care, out of hours diagnostics, community beds and home care packages. Some of these staff were then faced with sanction or were side lined after taking a stand for their profession and ultimately their patients.
We don’t need more reports to gather more evidence. We have all the evidence we need to end this scandal now.
