A leading consultant in emergency medicine has expressed concern over the high numbers of experienced nurses who have left one of the country's busiest A&E departments in the past year due to increasingly difficult working conditions.
Dr Chris Luke, consultant in emergency medicine at Cork University Hospital, said that he was aware of some 40 nurses from the 75-strong nursing complement who left the hospital's emergency department in 2007.
Although the posts have been filled by temporary nurses, the departure of over half the nursing complement from the emergency department has put pressure on the unit, which is one of the busiest in the country, with almost 50,000 admissions a year.
"Those who have left are among the most senior and experienced nurses in the department. They are leaving for a variety of reasons: some want to spend time with their families, some want to go to Australia and some just want a break from the stress of working there.
"While the reasons are various, the unifying theme is the dreadful working conditions which are accelerating the normal turnover rate of nursing staff - it's an unprecedented exodus in my experience in Ireland and my concern is that it will lead to more experienced people leaving."
"The situation is becoming more and more difficult for everyone with so many experienced people leaving and I dread the day when I come to work and I won't recognise a single nurse," Dr Luke told The Irish Times.
Dr Luke said that last Friday at 8am, there were some 35 patients on trolleys at the emergency department at Cork University Hospital and the department became even more congested for a period following a spate of weather-related accidents.
"We were just being hit by a blizzard of cases," said Dr Luke, adding that over the Christmas period the majority of admissions to the department's observation ward were as a result of alcohol-related injuries and accidents.
A HSE spokeswoman said that according to its figures, some 20 nurses had left the emergency department in 2007, with onethird of these being for personal and family reasons, one-third wishing to travel and one-third leaving either on promotion or for further education.
"Cork University Hospital has the lowest turnover rate for nursing staff in any acute teaching hospital in the country," said the HSE spokeswoman, adding that permanent recruitment is taking place to fill vacancies caused by staff who have left the emergency department.
