Psychiatric nurses to protest at UHG

Galway Bay fm newsroom – Psychiatric nurses at the acute unit at University Hospital Galway will stage a protest later this week to highlight what they say is inadequate staffing. The nurses claim that a lack of appropriate staff at the 45-bed unit in Newcastle is putting staff and patients at risk. The protest will take place at 1p.m on Thursday at UHG. It comes as a report is published on Community Mental Health Services in Galway/Roscommon. It concluded that services in the region are operating under a 30-year old national strategy. It also found that admission rates in West Galway and Roscommon are double the rate of Cavan/Monaghan which has implemented the ‘Vision for Change' policy. The HSE says many of the recommendations in the report are being addressed such as recruiting a Specialist Liaison Psychiatric Team at UHG. Spokesperson for the Psychiatric Nurses Association, Des Kavanagh says nurses have been pushed to the limit at the UHG unit.