asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health whether he is aware that it is the intention of the county manager to deprive the nursing staff of Galway Central Hospital of the use of the greater part of the ground floor of the Nurses' Home; and whether he will have representations made that the accommodation provided for the private use of the nurses will be the last, rather than the first, to be requisitioned for emergency or other purposes, and that the present proposals on the matter, if any have yet been formally made, be not proceeded with.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Nurses' Accommodation in Galway Hospital.
As regards the first part of the question, I am aware that proposals which would result in depriving the nursing staff of the Galway Central Hospital of a portion of the Nurses' Home are at present under examination. The adoption of this course has arisen out of the necessity for taking some steps towards relieving the grave overcrowding of patients in the Central Hospital. The present overcrowding is of serious import and a solution must be found. Other means of solving the problem have been examined and found to be impracticable. The new maternity block which will shortly be completed will provide accommodation for 40 patients, but that would only relieve one half of the present overcrowding. The scheme under examination is to adapt the two-storey block at the rere of the Central Hospital containing maids' sleeping quarters and a lecture room for the accommodation of patients. This necessitates the provision of alternative accommodation for the maids. As a purely temporary arrangement, and as a preferable alternative to requiring the maids to reside outside the hospital, it is proposed to utilise portion of the ground floor of the Nurses' Home as sleeping accommodation for the maids. The nurses will still have available in the home a visitors' room, a large dining-room and two other general rooms.
If the arrangements which I have outlined are given effect to, I would, in the circumstances, have no option but to concur. I can assure the Deputy that the allocation of portion of the Nurses' Home for maids will be a purely temporary measure and that every step possible will be taken to provide alternative accommodation for the maids within the institution, pending a permanent solution for the relief of overcrowding in the hospital.
Would the Minister consider making representations to the county manager to the effect that proper accommodation should be provided for these nurses, in view of the fact that accommodation has been given there to students who could attend lectures in the college? I understand that accommodation is provided for these students and other officials, and, surely, it should be an easy matter to arrange for their accommodation elsewhere rather than deprive the nurses of accommodation? After all, the medical students could receive their lectures in the college, which is only two or three minutes' walk away.
I take it that Deputy Bartley will agree that we must do everything possible to deal with this problem of overcrowding. On that condition, I shall do all that I can to meet this point, but I am advised that every alternative had been examined before this course was decided upon.
Will the Minister inquire into the representations made by these nurses, because it appears to me, from these representations, that the Minister's information is not correct. These nurses feel that it is not necessary to deprive them of the accommodation that was provided for their private use, for the purposes now proposed. It would appear that this may cause a grave dislocation in the case of the Galway Central Hospital, because I understand that the attitude of the nurses is that they will take serious action in the event of this being done
Well, of course, if that is the attitude of the nurses in this matter, then I am afraid that they are putting themselves completely outside of court. I cannot undertake to do anything in the matter. The Deputy must realise that the manager is responsible for this, and that I cannot override the good sense or knowledge of the manager in a matter of this sort. The manager is responsible for the accommodation of the patients in the hospital, and he has to see that the hospital accommodation, generally, is properly maintained. I have to recognise, not only the responsibilities of the manager, but his powers also, and I am not going to put myself in the position of completely overriding him.
Is not the Minister aware that, in connection with a matter of this sort, on a previous occasion; his Department stepped in and took appropriate action, and is he not aware that the nurses in that hospital are now being deprived of essential accommodation that was provided for their own private use?
I have already pointed out that that is not so. I have pointed out that the nurses will still have available in the home a visitors' room, a large diningroom, and two other general rooms.
Will the Minister undertake to inquire into the matter from the nurses' point of view?
It must be understood, first of all, that my primary duty in this matter is to see that proper accommodation will be provided for patients in the Galway Central Hospital. I am quite prepared to consider any reasonable proposals in regard to these nurses, but if they are threatening—as, apparently, they are —to withdraw their services, when they are asked to submit to a temporary inconvenience in the interest of proper accommodation for the patients in that hospital, I could not possibly agree.
Will the Minister say whether he is prepared to inquire into the matter?
Next question —No. 25—this is not a time for debate.