The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) will today hold a seminar on the quality of patient care in light of continuing cutbacks in the health service.

The sector has seen cutbacks of over 3 Billion Euro, along with a loss of over 5,000 nursing and midwife jobs, over the past five years.

A statement from the INMO advises that “the event is for managers working in the front line on the critical issues of safe practice and safe care in the context of the recommendations published as a result of the Mid-Staffordshire Hospital Trust Report (the Francis Report) in the United Kingdom.”

The Francis Report highlighted grave issues in patient care that had led to hundreds of avoidable deaths in the Hospital Trust over four years, and subsequently made 290 recommendations based on those findings.

Liam Doran, General Secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, said there needs to be a change that ensures, “front line managers are empowered with the necessary authority and responsibility to ensure that every patient experience is safe.

“That currently, regrettably, is not the case because of successive years of cutbacks,” Doran said.

INMO President, Claire Mahon said on Friday that: “The Seminar will examine the learning from the recommendations, in the context of the Irish situation which has seen six consecutive years, of health service cutbacks, leading to an overall reduction of over €3 billion, in health expenditure, and a loss of 5,150 nursing/midwifery posts (13.5% of the entire workforce) over the past five years.”

Mahon went on to warn that the "cutback agenda" means the "serious staffing situation...remains ignored."

“In pursuing this cutback agenda, the serious staffing situation, which now exists, remains ignored by health service management and government who continue to seek further reductions in the name of 'cost containment'," Mahon said.