Your priorities with the president
Martina Harkin-Kelly, INMO president
Nursing Now Ireland meeting Nursing Now Ireland held a meeting with representatives of the Department of Health, the HSE and Higher Education Institutes, with further meetings this year planned for November 12, December 11 and next year on January 8, 2020. The INMO continues to promote and raise the profile of the Nursing Now campaign, through a growing social media and online presence. For information on the campaign, you can visit nursingnowireland.ie The nomination process for the inaugural Nurse and Midwife of the Year Awards, sponsored by Cornmarket with prizes of €5,000 per winner, has now closed. The awards night will be held on November 28 and we look forward to announcing the winners. We discussed improving recognition across the EU for nursing qualifications, which – thanks to past work by the EFN – is the subject of a formal EU directive. We also discussed how nurses should have a real input in shaping the new EU system of digital health records, along with plans to expand our professional role further into pain man- agement. The EFN aims to empower nurses across Europe to recognise, assess and treat pain with a greater range of tools than they currently have. There were also elections held at the assembly and I am glad to report that we continue to be well represented in the organisation. Elizabeth Adams was re-elected president, while Ms Ní Sheaghdha was elected to the EFN’s six‑person Executive Council. Centenary celebrations RTÉ’s Nationwide team has completed filming a centenary tribute programme, which is likely to air in November. The centenary commemorative tapestry work by the Irish Patchwork Society is progressing and I would urge any member who wishes to get involved in the creation of this once in a lifetime commemorative piece to make contact through the general secretary’s office. Overcrowding and uncertainty As I write, a number of social and political factors are in focus, not least the ever- increasing winter trolley figures, flu season and – of course – Brexit. Trolley figures reached record highs once again in the past month, with the worst-ever September. Limerick had 82 people on trolleys on October 2, a staggering figure for one hospital and the highest ever recorded. We know what these numbers mean to our members in terms of patients languishing on trolleys in ED or on wards in inappropriate spaces. This is why your union advocates for serious change on a daily basis on behalf of you and your patients – we must curtail services in the short run and increase staffing beyond that. Meanwhile, with the Brexit debates continuing I am concerned for the many HSE employees living in Northern Ireland and the many cross-border initiatives that patients depend on. With much to play for, we continue to remind the key players that health is, and should always be, a top priority. European Federation of Nurses The European Federation of Nurses (EFN) represents more than three million nurses across the EU. It brings together 36 nursing associations from across the continent to ensure that nurses speak with one voice to the European policymakers, such as the European Commission and Parliament. I attended the EFN general assembly in mid-October with Phil Ní Sheaghdha, INMO general secretary, and Elizabeth Adams, previously of the INMO.
Quote of the month “Status quos are made to be broken” Ray A Davis
Report from the Executive Council
The National Executive met on Octo- ber 7and 8, 2019. As always there was a robust agenda dealing with internal and national issues, relevant to our members. The HSE’s disastrous recruitment pause was a key issue at the meeting, with further work planned on ending the pause for nursing and midwifery as soon as possible. The Executive was also made aware that progress had been made on the employment of graduates with over 1,400 offered contracts. The All-Ireland Midwifery Confer- ence took place this year in Armagh. Eilish Fitzgerald, INMO second-vice president, represented the president’s office at this event, as I attended the European Federation of Nursing’s (EFN) general assembly alongside Phil Ní Sheaghdha and Elizabeth Adams. The last meeting of the National Executive Council for 2019 is scheduled for December 2 and 3. Reminder for members: if you are working in conditions where you cannot provide safe care, please complete the disclaimer forms. This will be your only safeguard in the event of a near miss or an incident. You can contact me at INMO HQ at Tel: 01 6640 600, through the president’s blog on www.inmo.ie or by email to: president@inmo.ie Get in touch
For further details on the above and other events see www.inmo.ie/President_s_Corner
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