I move:
That Seanad Éireann:
–deploring the 11% increase in public in-patient hospital waiting lists over the life time of the present Government;
–greatly concerned by the failure of the Minister for Health and Children to comprehensively address this crisis;
–conscious that a portion of this increase is due to nursing shortages;
–acknowledging the vital role played by nurses in our hospital and community health services;
–aware of the fundamental changes that have occurred in the nursing profession and the varied specialist skills developed by nurses;
–supporting the commitment given to implement the recommendations contained in the Report of the Commission on Nursing;
–recognising that an overwhelming majority of nurses believe that their skills are undervalued and not properly acknowledged and rewarded and are committed to putting patients first and ensuring proper patient care and no further escalation in hospital waiting lists;
–calls on the Government to immediately engage in full consultation and constructive dialogue with the nursing unions to resolve the present dispute; and further
–calls on both the Government and the nursing unions to agree a cooling off period following the conclusion of the strike ballot to attempt to find a solution to the current impasse before strike action is taken.
We may be faced with an unprecedented strike in less than one week, which will cause enormous hardship for patients awaiting surgery, impact severely on health services and leave a scar of bitterness within those services, that will take a long time to heal. The Minister surely realises that any dispute which is allowed to drag on without any conciliatory gesture is similar to an open wound that is left untreated and can only fester.
The comprehensive nature of our motion outlines the complexities of the issue but the Minister had adequate time from the rejection by the nurses of the Labour Court pay recommendations to enter into constructive dialogue with the nursing unions, as opposed to the intemperate, aggressive language which has been used of late such as "driving a coach and horses through the national pay agreement" and "claim jumpers whose actions were threatening the national interest", although that remark has been attributed to the Minister for Finance. Is this a concerted campaign by Government to weaken the nurses' case in an attempt to win the support of the public?
This language is in contrast to the tone expected from nurses when they go about their duties in a caring and compassionate manner. They do not threaten, intimidate or treat patients arrogantly and have been bowled over by such language. As a woman and conscious of my reaction to being talked down to, it only strengthens the nurses' determination to dig in their heels. Nurses who are predominantly female will not be talked down to as a professional body because they are united, determined and resolute. That determination is characterised by the tenacity associated with the female make up.
It is the business of Government to find solutions, to be innovative, creative and search for a window of opportunity. In 1997 at the last moment a strike was averted with the promise of a nursing commission and an £85 million pay package. The commission looked at the changing nature of the profession and made recommendations on its structure. In 1998 the recommendations included a broad range of structural changes to modernise the nursing profession and referral of the outstanding pay issues to the Labour Court. More than 90 per cent of nurses found the Labour Court recommendations unacceptable and they specified the issues of greatest concern to them which were not addressed.
The pay scales did not reflect the responsibility of a nurse's work nor the positions of responsibility, such as the differentials between the pay of ward sisters and a staff nurses. They wanted a reasonable incremental scale for long service such that, for example, a nurse with 20 years service would have a higher salary than one with five years service. They also sought acknowledgement of specialists and post-graduate qualifications and the payment of allowances in respect of same. The Minister should have acted before now in anticipation of the difficulties which have arisen.
The motion refers to nursing shortages. I am a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children and it received four submissions on this. Two were presented by Liam Doran, INO general secretary, on 22 April and Oliver McDonagh, national nursing official, on 6 May. The former referred specifically to the areas of recruitment that employers should focus on in terms of marketing nursing to attract young people. Nursing was more difficult to get into in the past than medicine at third level. Over the years young girls said it was impossible to get a place as a student nurse and chose careers as engineers, accountants and so on. It was not made attractive as a profession in terms of being suitable for and easily accessible to young girls. These issues were raised last April in terms of the nursing shortage which has further exacerbated the health service.
The Oireachtas joint committee also received a submission from Eugene O'Donoghue, chief executive officer of An Bord Altranais. He stated that "It is inevitable that the task of filling all training places will become more difficult with demographic changes.". He highlighted the fact that the current figure of 340,000 young people aged between 15 and 19 would reduce to 245,000 by 2011. It is not as if we do not have information regarding this problem. On 17 June the committee heard a submission from the Health Service Employers' Agency again regarding the nursing shortage and related issues. It stated that "While there continues to be great interest in general nursing as a career [I disagree with that remark] there has been a lower level of interest among young people in both psychiatric and mental handicap nursing".
These submissions were received last April and there has little or no acknowledgement of the issues highlighted by the Minister. In April 566 nursing vacancies remained unfilled. What is the current figure? The motion also refers to the 11 per cent increase in public in-patient hospital waiting lists over the lifespan of the present Government and the fact that a proportion of this increase is due to nursing shortages. There are tremendous problems in the Mid-Western Health Board area, which is replicated in every other health board area. The Minister has done the rounds and is aware of the problems. A total of 1,570 people are on the waiting list for Limerick Regional Hospital.
The rainbow Coalition presided over major infrastructural developments in the Limerick area but the facilities which were provided are yet to be utilised because of a lack of human resources. There are only two radiological rooms available since 1998 and they will remain unused until the end of June. There are other problems within the regional area with operating theatres not being used. This is replicated in the other health boards. There are two main operating theatres being used out of a total of seven, which is a shame, considering there are five brand new ones not in use. There are two renal dialysis stations which could have been occupied since 1998 but are not.
What is the point not having continuity from one Minister to another, ensuring that the existing facilities can be used, the lack of which is further exacerbating matters in the Limerick area in the Mid-Western Health Board? The result of the inefficiencies of the existing infrastructure is that operations will be cancelled, the relationship between doctors and nurses will be undermined and patients' lives will be put at risk.
Of course, this is not what the Minister or I want, or what the nurses or the general public want. I find that instead of being proactive the Minister seems more concerned with talking to the agency I mentioned about dealing with emergencies if the strike happens, rather than trying to ensure that it does not. It is important that the Minister, from a personal viewpoint and as Minister for Health and Children, should forget the past and consult the nursing unions. There is very little time and the damage caused will be irreparable. It is not an insurmountable issue.
I was in Canada on a Help the Children mission and I found that for nearly two years each national newspaper led with stories on problems regarding nurses. The sympathy of the general public was still strong after two years because of ward closures, the undermining of nursing, a lack of appreciation of their skills and the changing nature of their work. The public is supportive of nurses but it will be a disaster if within a week the Minister does not solve this problem and speak to the nursing professions who do not want to strike any more than he wants them to. I appeal to him to take time to listen and to talk, and to avert a disaster which will affect the whole country and bring undue suffering to many.