The UL Hospitals Group has expressed disappointment over the INMO’s decision to ballot ICU nurses for industrial action, describing the move as “premature”.
Nurses in the Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital Limerick will be voting over the coming weeks on whether to take industrial action, in the form of a work to rule.
The INMO claims hospital management failed to provide an appropriate contingency plan to address the nurse deficits in the unit.
The UL Hospitals Group has described the move as “premature”, however, saying that “local engagement and other dispute resolution procedures have not been exhausted”.
In a statement to Clare FM, the group says nurse management have had two specific meetings with the INMO relating to ICU staffing and these have informed recruitment campaigns, as well as planning for nursing staff leave entitlements.
These meetings have also led to the implementation of a number of short-term measures to ensure the continued safe delivery of care.
ULHG says it remains committed to engaging on the matter to ensure a satisfactory resolution.
The group says that like all hospitals, they’re affected by staffing challenges, and that there’s a concerted focus by the management at the hospital to ensure that staffing deficits are prioritised.
