Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I thank Senator Hoey for her work in preparing this important motion. I also thank her for her work at the Joint Committee on Health and in relation to health on behalf of the Labour Party, including her work in support of student nurses and other campaigns, over the past two years. I listened to some, and read more, of the testimony at the recent Joint Committee on Health meeting. Hearing that direct evidence was worrying and indeed frightening. HSE statistics show there were 5,593 reported assaults against nursing and midwifery staff between January 2021 and October 2022. That is totally unacceptable, and it is the reason we should be debating this important motion tonight. As that figure does not include incidents in section 38 bodies, the true figure is much higher.

As others have mentioned, the joint committee heard from a witness who said, "In the last 18 months we have had 30 nurses resign from our emergency department alone." This shows what those we depend on most are having to face while caring for us all. The witness followed that comment by saying "we are on our knees when it comes to staffing levels." Like many Members of this House, I have and have had family members in the healthcare profession. I have friends who continue to work there. There can be no doubt that their safety and mental health is being tested much more regularly than in previous times. The lack of beds and the unavailability of overworked staff at certain times seems to give some people a licence to be abusive. In some cases, that becomes physical abuse. Our motion states that "the physical and mental health of all employees working in hospitals and community settings must be a priority for the HSE and other health employers". Most importantly, the motion speaks of the "need for the HSA to strengthen its responsibility in respect of workers' health and safety. It also refers to "the connection between poor staffing [and] overcrowded hospitals", which seems to give some people a licence to carry on this abuse.

When one speaks to those on the front line, as we did in the Labour Party in preparation for this debate, one hears all too often that people have been punched, slapped and called every name under the sun, and none of them nice. People have witnessed their colleagues being called such names too. They have seen them being punched and spat at. All they can do is wipe themselves down and continue, and go again and again. Unfortunately, as the health committee heard, many healthcare workers cannot wipe themselves down and get on with it anymore. Who could blame them? We need action and our front-line healthcare workers need support. The days of the nurse, doctor, care assistant or any healthcare professional being a lifetime position have unfortunately long disappeared. Unless we address these major incidents and this unacceptable abuse, we will find that those we need most in our hour of need will simply not be there. I look forward to the Minister's response. Actions speak louder than words, and action is needed. We cannot continue with what is happening.