Sinn Féin spokesperson on Mental Health, Sorca Clarke TD, has said that mental health nurses are right to stand up for patient safety and safe staffing, and said she stands fully behind their decision to take industrial action.

She added the escalating situation was untenable, and was as the result of years of neglect under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the government’s recruitment embargo, and the scrapping of 700 essential mental health jobs.

Teachta Clarke said:

“I stand in full support of mental health nurses and the Psychiatric Nurses Association in their decision to take industrial action, along with Fórsa, INMO, and Unite, in response to the escalating crisis in mental health services.

“The mismatch between staffing levels and patient demand in this life saving sector has reached unsustainable levels. This is impacting severely on the delivery of safe and timely healthcare, leaving mental health professionals and the people who rely on them in a precarious position.

“This is a situation created by years of neglect under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the government’s recruitment embargo, and the scrapping of 700 essential mental health jobs.

“Nurses and mental health professionals have told me that they are seriously considering resigning from their posts or leaving the HSE entirely because they do not feel supported or valued at work. They have also highlighted a concerning trend of serious delays in issuing contracts, including in CAMHS. Some nurses have been waiting up to eight months for a contract to be issued, with little to no communication from the HSE.

“The current situation is untenable. Mental health services are essential to the wellbeing of individuals and communities, and the dedicated professionals working in these services deserve our full support. This is not just a matter of staffing, it is a matter of maintaining safe standards of care.

“The decision by the PNA and other health unions to take industrial action is a regrettable but necessary step to bring attention to the dire need for adequate staffing and resources in mental health services right across the country.

“I am calling on government and the HSE to scrap the recruitment embargo, engage with workers and unions, and immediately address the severe staffing shortages in the HSE.”