The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has called on the HSE for stronger and more clear advice on mask wearing in public, as respiratory illnesses surge nationwide.
According to Trolleywatch by the INMO there are 534 people on trolleys waiting for a bed in Irish hospitals today. The nurses and midwives union say that if there was stronger advice about mask wearing and hand washing it could ease the pressures of the health service.
Last Tuesday the INMO reported that there was a record breaking 931 people on trolleys waiting for beds and that hospitals had reached crisis level.
Read more: INMO to consider industrial action as nurses' burnout levels 'at an all-time high'
As more cases of RSV are rising, particularly in the Mid-West of Ireland INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said today that mask wearing advice should be brought forward to help lessen the amount of cases.
She said: “We are once again calling on the Chief Medical Officer to issue stronger public health advice in relation to mandated mask-wearing. It is or view that it is the responsible thing for policymakers and Government to do at this vital juncture when hospitals are not coping and people’s lives are at a higher risk.
“We know that there is a surge in the spread of RSV, particularly in the Midwest. Our hospitals, especially those in the Midwest and on the Western seaboard, cannot sustain additional pressure from avoidable illnesses.
She said that the next few weeks will be difficult as although some overcrowding has eased in some of the countries larger hospitals, the smaller hospitals are still under "acute" pressure that is having a "devastating impact" and it is suspected to last until the end of February.
“It is time for stronger advice on simple and inexpensive measures such as mask-wearing and handwashing. It shouldn’t be this difficult to issue strong advice in this regard when we are being warned about rising cases of flu, RSV and new COVID variants. Recent evidence from the USA has confirmed that new COVID variants are leading to increased hospitalisations," she explained.
The INMO also said in recent days that they are considering strike action as a response to the overcrowding situation and due to their working conditions being "so bad."
Ms Ní Sheaghda told RTE’s 'This Week' programme on Sunday: “We’re not going to hang around, we’ll be meeting members this week, next week and the week after."
Read next:
