Your priorities with the president
Martina Harkin-Kelly, INMO president
Care of Older Persons nursing conference The COOP Section’s annual conference, which had been postponed due to the industrial action, took place on September 10. The conference focused on the dementia epidemic, which affects so many of our older citizens. The speakers presented their evidence-based insights into improving care for such patients, which can be a particular challenge for frontline nursing staff. The conference also looked at the issue of sexuality in older person’s care – an issue which is sadly often ignored. The conference heard from representatives of LGBT Ireland along with speakers from the HSE. The day concluded with a session on com- plementary therapies for older people, including a ‘meeting’ with Mylo, a companion robot aimed at averting loneliness and improving companionship (see page 23) . After years in practice as a nurse, I left them with the following advice: never falter, believe in what you can do and the difference you can make, stay true to your profes- sional values and remember that learning is a lifelong mission. Centenary celebrations 2019 is, of course, the INMO’s 100th year, and we are planning to conclude the year in a number of ways, which were recently discussed by the National Centenary Commit- tee in early September. The Irish Patchwork Society and several INMO members are progressing with a tapestry to mark the union’s centenary. The design is by artist Robert Ballagh, with the intricate work being done in panels by the talented stitchers. The ban- ner will reflect the importance of the branches and sections, the four corners of Ireland where our members work, and our proud, international, multicultural workforce. If any member wishes to get involved in the project, please get in touch with HQ. There will be a celebratory event on November 28, which branches and sections will be contacted about in the coming weeks. The event will include the Nurse and Midwife of the Year Awards – I encourage members to get submissions in before October 31, via the INMO website. Finally, many local branches will be working with local councils and elected represent- atives to host civic receptions across the country, to recognise the incredible dedication and work of Ireland’s nurses and midwives. This is not only a celebration of our work, but also a chance to maintain our strong political profile. Planning for winter Fail to plan: plan to fail, or so I was led to believe in the family in which I was reared. The HSE is yet to publish a winter plan for 2019, to deal with the usual increase in demands on our health service in winter. The problems previously confined to winter have become a year-round issue. The impact falls heavily on frontline staff in the health service, who continue to work to keep their heads above water. This is simply not a safe environment for patients or members alike, given the high number of vacancies across the whole health service – from hospital wards to the community. That is why this union will con- tinue to pursue safe staffing levels, an end to the recruitment ban, and curtailment of services until that is achieved. Graduate symposium I was delighted to speak with the next generation of nurses and midwives at our grad- uate symposium in September. I aimed to motivate, but in turn found that I left with a renewed faith in our mission, thanks to the opportunity to talk with so many enquiring minds and fresh additions to our professions. I reminded them of the words of Roisin O’Connell, a recent graduate nurse who spoke at this year’s annual delegate conference: “Each and every Irish nurse is worth their weight in gold if not more”.
Quote of the month “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things” - Peter Drucker
Report from the Executive Council
The National Executive most recently met on September 2 and 3, as ever, dealing with a mix of internal, profession and national issues. Union management updated the Execu- tive on the ongoing attempt by the Revenue Commissioners to remove tax entitlements for nurses and midwives, relating to uni- forms and uniform cleaning costs. Revenue bizarrely contend that “the laundry of a uniform does not arise in the actual perfor- mance of the duties of a nurse”. Needless to say, this is being robustly contended by the INMO. There was discussion about the HSE’s fail- ure to offer all graduate nurses and midwives contracts. The union has had success across the country in overturning this policy, with well over 1,100 permanent contracts issued. At time of going to press, there remain some issues, but officials are confident that they can be overcome. We also filled the vacant student post on Executive and I would like to welcome Corrinne Rushe as the student nurse repre- sentative on the Executive. She is a welcome addition. The Executive also supported Trade Union Friends of Palestine (TUFP), which is hosting a conference in Dublin in November. This will focus on the suffering of Palestinian children. The next Executive Council meeting will be held on October 7/8, 2019. You can contact me at INMO HQ at Tel: 01 6640 600, through the president’s blog on www.inmo.ie or by email to: president@inmo.ie Get in touch
For further details on the above and other events see www.inmo.ie/President_s_Corner
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