THE Kerry public has been warned to expect significant disruption at local hospitals and health centres as the nurses’ strike escalates this week.
Cork Kerry Community Healthcare said it has preparations in place to try to cope with the industrial action by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation tomorrow and again on Thursday.
Unless the dispute is resolved at national level, there will be big disruption to services on both days with many public day centres for older people or people with disabilities not opening. Non-essential nursing home visits will not take place.
Clinics at primary care centres and health facilities where nurses participate will be cancelled, routine nursing services at health centres will not take place and all day hospital services and outpatient appointments will be cancelled.
Palliative care services will operate as normal tomorrow and essential services in the home and health centres, such as urgent wound care and screening of new born children, where essential, will take place.
A limited number of community services will operate as normal, including palliative care.
Residential services in community hospitals and acute mental health units and disability centres will remain open on Tuesday and care will be provided to residents but admissions to community hospitals will be affected and this may have an impact on people due to receive respite care.
Cork Kerry Community Healthcare said those affected have been notified of cancellations and any appointments or procedures that are cancelled will be re-scheduled as soon as possible.
“We are engaging with the INMO locally so that the impact of the industrial action can be managed as well as possible. This ongoing interaction between local management and strike committees is focused on ensuring the impact of the action for those using our services is minimised,” a spokesperson said.
At University Hospital Kerry this Monday a number of outpatient appointments, including orthopaedic clinics, scheduled for tomorrow, were brought forward resulting in log queues and longer than normal waiting times.
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