By Róise Collins
NEW research presented at a conference held in Letterkenny has revealed that staff morale in Irish health services is at a critically low level.
The findings from the survey by Fórsa, Ireland’s largest public service trade union, show that nearly 70 per cent of respondents described staff morale as either “low” or “terrible”, with almost half reporting that the situation has worsened over the past two years.
More than half also said that low morale is negatively impacting the quality of care.
In response to the stark findings, Donegal Fórsa member Angela McGinley, who works in the Oncology Department at Letterkenny University Hospital, proposed a motion to the conference, calling for urgent action to address the “dire situation” facing healthcare staff at all levels.
Speaking on Thursday to a packed conference room in the Mount Errigal Hotel, Ms McGinley shared that her department is currently down two staff members, both on stress-related sick leave. She added that she now eats lunch at her desk in an effort to continue providing quality care to patients.
“Persistent challenges have significantly impacted the wellbeing and motivation of our members, many of whom feel undervalued and overburdened.”
See today’s Donegal News for full story