Nurses are facing stab threats, being spat at, kicked and verbally abused at work, a traumatised health worker has told a Dail committee.
Sylvia Chambers was speaking on behalf of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation who were in Leinster House to speak about the abuse being suffered by their members in the national health service. The INMO said at least 10 nurses a day are being assaulted in our hospitals.
Ms Chambers told the Dail committee: “It is a daily occurance and I do not feel safe going to work.” Ms Chambers, a working paediatric nurse, said: “I can say I have never experienced aggression like we have in the past few years, particularly on a daily basis.
Read more: Rise in respiratory illness sees Irish blood supplies drop
“There are numerous incidents where we are verbally attacked, I have been spat at, I have been verbally abused. I have been threatened that when I leave work that evening, that I will be stabbed as I get into my car. I have had grown men, six foot four, towering over me throwing objects at me.”
The nurse of 18 years’ experience added: “I don’t feel safe. My colleagues don’t feel safe, this all comes down to security, this comes down to overcrowding. The facility that our parents are asked to wait, it is not sufficient. At night-time from 2am onwards we only have two doctors. Sometimes we could have up to 60 to 70 patients waiting at that time – with two doctors.
“It’s not feasible for two doctors to see all, both patients and parents become very aggressive. They become tired and the nurse who is normally the first person that they see, we’re the ones that will receive the backlash. It’s just not appropriate and we cannot provide appropriate nursing care.”
“Staff are leaving due in bulk because they are stressed. In the last 18 months we’ve had 30 nurses resign from our emergency department. We are on our knees when it comes to our staffing levels.”
INMO chief, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, told the committee: “Violence and aggression against nurses and midwives is not a new phenomenon and is one the INMO has been campaigning on for many years on behalf of our members. Over 63% of all incidents of assault that occur against HSE workers are levelled against nurses and midwives.
“Between January 2021 and October 2022, there were 5,593 reported assaults against nursing and midwifery staff. We know that this figure does not include assaults against nurses and midwives in Section 38 facilities, we also know that many nurses and midwives don’t report incidents of assault. It is not acceptable that in a profession that is overwhelmingly made up of women, that at least ten assaults occur every single day.”
Read next:
Lotto results Ireland: Dubliners nab €2 million in life-changing prizes
Cyclist seriously injured following Tallaght e-scooter collision as gardai appeal for witnesses
Campaigners demand St John Ambulance publish report on historic child sexual abuse claims
Scam text message claims eFlow motorway users owe money for trips made last year
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
