HSE outlines strike impact

The HSE has outlined the impact the impending strikes will have on health services tomorrow.

In the interests of patient safety and quality, all non-emergency hospital procedures will be cancelled today and tomorrow. Day case activity will continue as normal today, but procedures which require admission to hospital will not take place. All out patient clinics scheduled for Tuesday will be postponed.

According to the HSE, hospitals have been contacting their patients by letter, telephone and in some cases text messages to advise them of services and procedures affected by the industrial action.

Emergency departments and ambulance services will operate a limited service on Tuesday, and it is anticipated that there will be a Christmas Day level of cover in hospitals. The HSE is advising the public not to present to Emergency Departments unless it is a genuine emergency. The HSE has asked people to contact their GP for non-emergency care, or their out-of-hours GP service.

The HSE has advised that its swine flu vaccination clinics will also be closed on Tuesday.

Voluntary Intellectual Disability Services and care of the elderly services have been exempted from the strike by the nursing unions. The following nursing areas are also excluded from action including intensive/critical care, burns units, dialysis, oncolology/chemotherapy units, neurosurgery, maternity, home helps and palliative care. The HSE will continue to work with the unions in relation to derogations for critical care areas. 


There will be emergency/out of hours level of cover akin to Christmas Day staffing rosters for wards, emergency departments, radiography, ambulance service, theatres and recovery, sexual assault units, drug treatment and phlebotomy, excluding Crumlin Hospital which is exempted.

Public health nurses will provide weekend cover level of services and mental health nurses will provide emergency cover. Home help services will not be affected. 


Dr Joe Devlin, HSE directorate of quality and clinical care, commented that the public need to be aware the health services will be reduced to Christmas Day levels tomorrow.

“It is important for patient safety that non-emergency procedures do not proceed during the strike action. We apologise to patients for any inconvenience caused and will be making every effort to ensure that appointments are rescheduled as soon as possible,” he said.

Members of the Irish Medical Organisation, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association, the Medical Laboratory Scientists Association did not ballot for industrial action. The Irish Dental Association received a mandate for industrial action but will work as normal.

Public service unions in Cork and Ballinasloe, Co Galway have called off the strike there to enable them to respond to the devastation caused by the floods. Nursing unions have agreed to exclude Cork City hospitals and Portiuncula hospital in Balllinasloe, Co Galway from the day of action.

[Posted: Mon 23/11/2009]