HIRING SECURITY TO protect nurses from assaults and abuse is “a matter for hospital management,” the health minister has said.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) annual conference heard today that 12 of their members are assaulted at work every day.

They unanimously voted to call on the HSE to introduce an increased security presence in healthcare settings, as well as a better reporting system so that incidents can be prevented, or more effectively tracked.

Speaking to reporters in Wexford, where the INMO’s conference is being held, Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said it was the responsibility of individual hospitals to make decisions around security.

“Of course you have to manage your environment in a safe way,” she said.

“That is a matter for hospital management.

“Certainly in the hospitals where I’ve been, I see good security. But look, we have to respond to the needs of the day, and particularly at weekends, when it can be busier for different reasons, that hospital managers have to take responsibility for that and make sure that the appropriate security is in place.”

Emma Ross, a nurse in Dundalk, told the conference that she is “constantly battling with management” to get on-site security.

“Healthcare workers deserve to feel safe at work. It is not a luxury. It’s a basic right. Abuse, whether physical or verbal, should never be accepted as part of our job.

“The lack of adequate protection puts staff and patients at risk, undermines morale and compromises care. We are dedicated to helping others. We should not have fear for our safety while doing so.”

A nurse in Waterford said she “couldn’t count” the number of times she’s been verbally abused at work.

A nurse in Monaghan decried the lack of security, and said abuse is pervasive in smaller hospitals too. She recounted experiences of colleagues, such as how one nurse had her finger fractured during an assault, and another was “hit in the face”.

A survey conducted by the INMO shows that one in five nurses and midwives have been subjected to physical violence in the workplace.

More than half of respondents said they experienced aggressive or threatening behaviour at work.

The minister said there is “no justification” for assaults on healthcare workers, adding that she is “particularly troubled” by abuse that has a “racial element”.