More than seven out of ten Irish nurses and midwives have considered quitting their work according to a new survey from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. (INMO)
The survey cited stress as the main reason respondents wanted to leave their workplace while a high number also reported experiencing aggressive behaviour. The shocking statistic is just one of many included in the Nursing and Midwifery Work and Wellbeing Survey published by the INMO at their annual Annual Delegate Conference.
The survey also found a staggering 94% of nurses and midwives feel that work is negatively impacting their psychological well-being and 89% of respondents said they were at least somewhat burnt out because of work.
Elsewhere, 85% of nurses and midwives said staffing levels could not meet demands at their place of work while two-thirds of those said that patient safety was often or always put at risk as a result.
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Speaking about the results of the survey, Karen McGowan, President of the INMO, said: “These results are very stark and unfortunately they don’t seem to be getting better. There has been no opportunity for nurses and midwives to regain a stable footing since 2019, as it’s just been crisis after crisis in the health service since then.”
She added “As a society we’ve become more aware of the importance of protecting people’s mental health at work, except it seems when it comes to people who work in healthcare. Our members are just not being protected from the long-term physical and psychological effects of stress, and it’s simply irresponsible.”
Meanwhile, INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, commented: “The stress and burnout reported here is devastating for individuals, but it also has a knock-on effect for the whole health service.
Almost 3 out of 4 of the nurses and midwives who responded to this survey have considered leaving their current work area. That means the fate of the entire health service is dependent on those people deciding to stick it out for another month or another year, whatever they feel they can do.”
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“Staffing is the biggest issue currently facing the health service, and this is the time to deal with it,” he added.
Conor Paterson