Staff stand-off over safety fears at Galway psychiatric unit

The acute psychiatric unit at University Hospital Galway (UHG) descended into chaos again over the weekend with nurses refusing to go on duty due to safety concerns caused by staff shortages.

The stand-off is similar to the one which led to industrial action last May. A deal brokered in June led to a commitment from the management about specific numbers being rostered on duty.

On Friday evening, the acute ward was short four staff to care for the 44 in-patients, four of them considered seriously ill and requiring one-on-one care.

Night staff refused to begin their shift claiming they feared for their safety.

It took three hours to locate three additional staff to plug the gap, explained Psychiatric Nurses Association spokesman Noel Giblin.

“There was a known requirement for staff on Tuesday morning and nothing was done. The problem as we see it is management went off duty on Friday evening not realising – or more worryingly not caring – that the unit was dangerously understaffed and only started looking for those staff at 8pm.”

The last empty bed was filled early that morning by an agitated patient escorted in by gardaí.

“That ward has the ability to be very volatile. Staff have to be very mindful on a Friday or Saturday night they are very likely to have guards escorting in patients and must have the full complement of staff. They’re not being listened to.”

Another mental health worker called in to assess the situation – who asked not to be named as he worked elsewhere in the HSE – said he understand it was the fourth such standoff.

“Does it need to take a staff member being killed or maimed before they listen? There are already two staff off on long-term sick leave due to injury caused by patients. You’ll see staff going off sick because they’re too afraid to come on duty which will compound the situation,” he told the Connacht Tribune.

An acute 50-bed unit is scheduled to be built late next year but planning permission has not yet been secured.

Since the closure of the acute 22-bed unit in Ballinasloe built at a cost of nearly €3m the acute unit in UHG has been at breaking point.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.