NURSES WITHIN THE Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) are to begin industrial action across the country today.

The industrial action is in response to “the continued failure of the HSE to exempt mental health services from proposed cuts in nursing numbers and unacceptable restrictions on recruitment”, the association said in a statement.

The industrial action is to take the form of a “work to rule”, with nurses only performing duties that are part of the core nursing role. This would essentially comprise nurses within the association ceasing any duties they currently undertake “on a goodwill basis”.  

The “work to rule” will see some facilities not opening, nurses not filling out paperwork that’s not clinically focused, and nurses not taking part in meetings, a spokesperson for the association confirmed to The Journal.

There are around 6,500 nurses members of the association nationally.

The PNA’s general secretary Peter Hughes, said that the action was required in the interest of maintaining services and the development of mental health services in Ireland in the future.

He said that staffing in mental health services has been reduced to “unsustainable levels”, resulting in impacts upon service delivery and development. While the PNA are engaging with the HSE under the guidance of the Workplace Relations Commission, the PNA are insisting upon talks to deal with the issue of staffing in its area.

Hughes said the union has been left with no option but to embark on industrial action in the interests of maintaining services and the development of mental health services into the future.

Hughes pointed to the Pay and Numbers Strategy as being the root of the sector’s ongoing issues.

“Without resolution of this dispute the Pay and Numbers Strategy will decimate mental health services resulting in closure and curtailment of services now and into the future.”

The PNA has not set out an end-date for the industrial action, the PNA representative confirmed.