HSE says tomorrow’s strike will have ‘significant impact’ on patient services

The HSE has said that tomorrow's strike will have a "significant impact" on patient and client services.

Staff from 38 hospitals and healthcare facilities from around the country will be taking industrial action on Thursday, June 20. 10,000 HSE support staff are set to strike for better pay and working conditions. This includes healthcare assistants, maternity care assistants, surgical instrument technicians, porters, chefs, and household services. The HSE said they have started contingency planning with SIPTU at local hospital and healthcare facility level to ensure "minimum disruption." "While every effort will be made to minimise the impact on patients, industrial action involving these essential staff will have a significant impact on services," they said in a statement. "The HSE remains committed to early resolution of the strike action given the number of staffing groups involved, and the direct impact on our patients in our acute and community services." Among the healthcare facilities affected are Cork University Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, the Mater and St James Hospital. The full list of facilities affected can be found on the SIPTU app.

SIPTU health division organiser, Paul Bell, said earlier this week:

“The strike this Thursday will go ahead and regrettably it is likely to have serious consequences for the delivery of patient services. A claim by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to the effect that there was no commitment to pay additional money on foot of the job evaluation scheme is patently inaccurate.

"The health employers accepted the recommendations of the job evaluation scheme in 2017 which set out which staff members should be upgraded and remunerated accordingly.”

Patients whose appointments are going to be affected by the strike will be contacted by their hospital or healthcare facility. The strike will begin at 8am on Thursday and finish 24 hours later.