Donegal nurses want HSE to commit to safety of NoWDOC service

Nurses working in Donegal, have called on the HSE to properly fund the NoWDOC service to ensure it is safe for patients and staff.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation's, Industrial Relations Officer, Neal Donoghue speaking on their behalf and nurses in Leitrim said this afternoon::

“Prior to and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic nurses working in NOWDOC sounded the alarm in relation to the serious lack of investment in the out-of-hours GP services for their communities.

“Significantly, at a time where all health care services are under immense pressure and the HSE is directing the public to use out-of-hours GP services rather than attend emergency departments no commensurate increase in triage services has been provided.

“In the Northwest, the HSE have fundamentally failed to put in place the necessary structures and supports required to manage NoWDOC. Nurses are reporting that this weakness is contributing to  the  risks to the public in terms of delays in patients being seen by GPs.

“Nurses in the service have a vast range of knowledge and expertise in telephone triage and endeavour to provide the highest standards of service to their communities. However, the HSE continues to employ nurses on temporary contracts in insufficient numbers which is simply unsustainable given the demand for their skills and expertise elsewhere and the service needs,” the INMO representative told donegallive.ie

The NoWDOC Service, is a partnership between the GP members of Caredoc and the HSE, provides an urgent GP family Doctor service to patients of GP members in Donegal and south Leitrim.

The service is designed to provide urgent GP care to patients and is not a substitute for the Emergency Ambulance Service who are the appropriate service to deal with medical emergencies where they arise.