Cuts threat to maternity care

[Posted: Thu 02/08/2012 www.irishhealth.com]

Nurses at the country's largest maternity hospital say they are concerned for patient safety as a reuslt of expected major cutbacks at the hospital.

Members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) say because the the Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) is overspent by E10 million, management has directed that it will have to make do without agancy staff, overtime or staff replacement.

The INMO says CUMH is currently short of 80 midwives, leaving staffing at potentially unsafe levels.

Patsy Doyle, INMO Industrial Relations Officer said CUMH deserves to be staffed according to clinical need and ‘not a constant casualty of external overspend.'

The INMO says it wants the public to be made aware of internal risks at the hospital which could be resolved by emergency recruitment.