Enter the Dragon - at the Nurses' and Midwives' Conference in Killarney

With Norah Casey, my new Twitter friend!

Last week I spent three very busy full days in Killarney at the Irish Nurses and Midwives Annual Delegate Conference (INMO). It was great to get together with friends and colleagues for a celebration of what we do best, and catch up on the news and the gossip over the past year, as well as developments in nursing and midwifery on the national and international stage. I'm not going to bore you comatose with too much detail; suffice to say that the conference is an ideal opportunity to recharge the batteries and have fun at the same time. 

We had a number of motions debates, and a wonderfully inspiring keynote speaker in Norah Casey from Ireland's Dragon's Den. She was a nurse in an earlier life, and spoke warmly and very movingly about her late husband's death from cancer last year, and the great care he got from the nurses in Blackrock Hospice. I'd heard her speak on Marian Finucane's Saturday programme on RTÉ Radio back in February, and she had the nation spellbound with her openness and honesty in talking about her late husband so soon after his death. She also shared her Top Ten Tips for Success - 9 of them at any rate - and No. 1 was Tweet Tweet! Which she does, @NorahCasey and she had already been tweeting about the conference since the previous week's Dragon's Den with me and some other Tweeting nurses. 

Some of the Waterford Branch Delegates 

Compare and contrast Norah's 42 minute address and her Top Ten Tips for Success with the 9 minute address from Minister for Health Dr. James Reilly the following day. We were all wondering what he would say to inspire and encourage us in these dark gloomy recessionary days - and we're still waiting and wondering why he bothered to come to Killarney. He spoke on nurse prescribing which has been around for enough years to not be news anymore, and about the need for flexibility in changing work practices. This is a none-too-subtle toe-dipping exercise in bringing back shorter and possibly split shifts.  The latter will go down like the proverbial lead balloon as they are the most appalling family-unfriendly soul-destroying work practice, which I did as a student but would strongly resist if they come back. What nurses don't need or want is the erosion of the profession on cost grounds or that we are seen as replacement doctors - there's a sense that role expansion could be seen as a value-for-money exercise by the bean-counters, while we want role expansion to be within the realm of nursing and not a medical model. There's a sense of a widening theory-practice gap with health economics the driving impetus rather than the patient journey. The nurses among you will know what I mean. I hope you watch the two videoclips. 

Essene, Grainne and me, PHN reps from Waterford

There's a soul-destroying recruitment embargo going on for the past four years that means posts are not being filled on retirement and staff aren't being hired. The waste in training nurses for export as they can't be hired in the public sector is a tragedy and we are all hopeful that the powers-that-be see sense and give work to the expensively trained nurses in Ireland and that we return to a time where we emigrated from choice not necessity, just like I did back in the '70s and '80s.

 

 

Waterford's Claire Mahon speaking to a motion

Handover of the Presidential Chain of Office

Ending on a lighter note, the highlight of the conference for the Waterford Branch (of which I was a delegate) was surely the election of our Chairperson Claire Mahon as President of the INMO for the next 2 years. Claire has been on the INMO Executive for the past few years and it was terrific that she was elected. We wish her every success in raising the profile of nursing and the profession at large in her term of office. We partied well into the night on each night, as is our wont at such gigs, and even though I missed the Gala Ball on the Friday night, having come home early for a weekend away (more of which anon) I enjoyed the two nights I spent in Killarney. We came second in the opening night's Table Quiz which raised 2000 Euro for the Kerry Rape Crisis Centre, and were beaten by a mere point. That event has become a conference fixture and is very enjoyable, with the inimitable Dave Hughes as Quizmaster who brooks  no challenge - the only right answer is his one! Dinner and awards the second night was followed  by dancing the night away, the only exercise we got, as the days were full on. The weather was awful, dull and wet, and only on the final day did the sun come out, making for a lovely 2 hour journey home that evening.

Next day we headed for The Burren in Co. Clare for a reunion and walk with a  number of old friends - the next blogpost will tell all!

The Gleneagle Hotel and Conference Centre, Killarney

Labour Women's National Conference - and Waterford Labour Women's Collective Debut.

Last Saturday I went to my first Labour Women's National Conference in the Oak Room of the Mansion House in Dublin. This is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, a post which is happily currently held by not only a Labour Lord Mayor but a woman, Emer Costello, who is also a Dublin City Councillor. So the conference was on home ground with a political colleague, who is active in Labour Women. We have recently formed a group of Labour women in Waterford, from different branches in the constituency, and we held our inaugural meeting last month. We sent five delegates to the Conference, and proposed three motions which we felt were relevant to women's issues at this time.

Waterford Labour Women with the Party Leader. Back row: me, Cllr. Ciara Conway, Deirdre Jacques; Front row: Lorna, Eamon Gilmore TD, Jane Jermyn

One of the motions was on the proposal to cut child benefit to save 20% on its annual cost, as recommended in the recent Bord Snip Nua/McCarthy Report along with other swingeing cuts that will impact unfavourably on the poor and vulnerable in our society. Such a retrograde step would be hugely negative given that it is the only universal payment to women that keeps them financially independent and ensures equality for all children.

The Mansion House, Dublin

Another motion concerned the new childcare funding that replaces the annual payment for all children under six - it is inadequate in that it doesn't fund sufficient hours of childcare and it does not reflect the real cost of childcare in a registered creche, which is where the grant must be allocated. This sector has already been hit by cuts in subvention to poorer women and children in back to education and training schemes, and this grant will not help if its subvention is inadequate.

Dee speaking on election to the National Women's Executive, with Sinéad looking on.

Our final motion was one proposed by me - one I feel passionate about as it concerns women's health - on the government's unilateral withdrawal in November 2008 of the planned cervical cancer vaccine that was proposed in August 2008 for all 12 year-old girls in the State. This was hugely emotive and caused outrage, particularly as it was already too little too late, given that we were way behind other civilised countries in having no cervical cancer screening programme until last month.

Also, the recommended cervical cancer vaccine catch-up programme for 13-15 yr old girls was not taken up by the government, despite the UK having implemented a catch-up programme for all 13-18 yr old girls. The total cost was a paltry €10million annually for the 12 yr olds, and the catch-up would have cost a once-off €29.2million. But this was deemed unaffordable in the current climate.

Cllr. Ciara Conway speaking

In fact the Revised Programme for Government agreed by the Greens at their Party Conference a week ago talked about expansion of the Cervical Cancer Vaccine “at the earliest opportunity, in accordance with clinical priorities” - I wonder how you can expand something that doesn't exist already? Shows their priorities and skill at double-speak.

What led to my proposing this motion was the recent announcement of the plan to introduce postcodes to all households in Ireland, at a cost of €10-15million, and juxtaposed against the cervical cancer vaccine withdrawal it seemed obscenely inappropriate. Ireland may be the only country in Europe not to have postcodes, but our quaintly unique townlands address system has worked for years and could surely ride out the economic crisis. This was another Green plan, along with (to add insult to injury to the women of Ireland) the plan to stop badger culling by - you guessed it I'm sure - vaccinating them! The Greens must have lost all sense of irony that they didn't see the ridicule this would heap on them by even the most ardent animal-rights activists, and indeed they tried to downplay and even deny that they were pushing for badger vaccination, just an alternative to culling. This would seem to be the only alternative, though, as how else would you stop badgers being a TB hazard to cattle?

Joan Burton TD, Deputy Leader, addresses the conference, with Ivana Bacik seated
Below: Coffee break - Dee, Jane and Lorna

So that gives you an idea of our input to the Conference. It was a very interesting day, with a lot of good speakers, and an address by the man of the moment and hopefully Ireland's next Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Eamon Gilmore, the Labour Party leader. The theme of the Conference was parity in political life - how to increase women's representation and presence in public office, how to increase the number of women candidates for election and how to strengthen our current position of having the highest proportion of women TDs of all the parties, at 22% compared to the Dáil (parliament) with 14%. So this generated a lot of heated debate, with diverse opinions on a quota system promoting a gender-proofing "affirmative action" type plan. It was all very positive and the format encouraged open debate and contributions from the floor, indeed it was well structured but less formal than the main conference partly because of the numbers and the intimate venue.

Eamon Gilmore TD, and Sinéad

Joan Burton TD, Deputy Leader and party spokesman on finance addressed the gathering, as did Senator Ivana Bacik, both formidable women with a long history of activism and advocacy on feminist and family issues. The guest speaker was well-known writer, journalist and commentator, Susan McKay,currently head of the National Women's Council of Ireland. The outgoing Chair of Labour Women, Sinéad ní Chualacháin, presided over the Conference. We could have filled the day with debates on the various motions from all the contributors, and there was plenty of networking and a chance to meet with the other delegates at the end of the day.

Ivana Bacik, Susan McKay and Sinéad ni Chualacháin

All in all, it was a great day and I am really proud to be a member of a party and a group of women with a level of conviction and moral outrage as was shown at the conference at the injustices in today's society. Contrary to Margaret Thatcher's assertion that there is no such thing as society, only individuals and families, most people want to live in a society. Yet it is hard to escape the feeling that right now we live in an economy; we are being shown by the present government that their priority is solely focused on economic recovery, irrespective of the cost to society and the people of the country.

Conference and "Craic" in Killarney

I have spent the past three days in Killarney at the Irish Nurses Organisation's Annual Delegate Conference ( or INO ADC -we prefer acronyms for brevity!) The conference took place at one of the largest conference venues in the country, the Gleneagle Hotel and Conference Centre, which makes it about the fourth time I've been there in recent years. Killarney and Cavan's Slieve Russel Hotel are about the only two venues outside of Dublin's Citywest that can accomodate the 350-odd delegates under one roof.

Liam Doran, INO Secretary General.



There are plenty of conference centres big enough but not many that can house us all, which is one of the bonuses of the INO conference, as I have been to others like the Labour Party conferences where we've had to find a B&B nearby. Nothing ruins the ambience of the evening more than the prospect of heading out in the rain and cold (usually!) inadequately clad in party attire and probably killer heels to head back to the often cold dark confines of a B&B at 3 a.m. This usually entails either waiting in the hotel lobby for ages for a taxi and missing the fun in the hotel bar, or having to abstain all evening as the designated driver if you decide to bring the car - not that I'm a mad drinker but I like a glass of wine with my dinner and a Bailey's afterwards, and wouldn't risk driving after even one glass, though I might be technically under the Irish limit.

This event is a good opportunity to meet up with colleagues from around the country and there is a social aspect to the conference as well as very full days of talks, debates on the various motions submitted by the branches and sections. I am in the Waterford branch and also the PHN (Public Health Nurse) section, so there is a wide range of interest for me along with the broader policy and national issues.

The state of the economy underpinned practically every debate at the conference as the cutbacks in health have such far-reaching impact. In earlier posts I have alluded to these, and things are not getting better. So while the INO might be seen as only dealing with members' pay and conditions, which of course is any trade unions' remit, it also highlights the patient advocacy role of nurses, and indeed the conference theme was patient safety.





The conference debated the impact of cutbacks and their many adverse human and economic consequences. The fact that there will be few if any jobs for the newly graduating nurses, many of whom will emigrate demonstrates this as a poor investment return for Ireland - it costs about €80,000 to train a nurse over 4 college years - and if they leave never to return it doesn't make economic sense. The Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney, spoke yesterday and got a fairly cool if polite reception. Her support for increasing privatisation of the health services in Ireland is strongly opposed by the INO as it will only worsen the existing inequity in our unique two-tier public-private healthcare system. Healthcare has to be based on the patient's needs, not ability to pay, and this should be fundamental to any civilised country.


A number of delegates took time to support colleagues in Killarney Community Hospital who had a lunchtime protest against the loss of a senior nursing post in their hospital. They are a small hospital and it was a good morale boost to have 3 busloads of delegates join them on the picket line for an hour and hopefully the accompanying media spotlight will help their cause.





Some of the Waterford branch members - Mary, Kerry, Claire and myself.
The weather was dreadful for most of the conference, but as we were in a bubble for most of the time in a huge hall with no natural light we didn't really mind. It was nice to go for a swim in the leisure centre at the end of the day, and we enjoyed the "craic" or fun of the social evenings. There was a fun table quiz on the first night, which raised over €1,000 for a Cambodian street childrens' charity that a Killarney nurse is involved with. The questions, set by Dave Hughes, the deputy Gen. Sec., were often cryptic and raised much laughter, and a clever delegate incorporated many of them the following day when speaking to her branch's motion!

The food was excellent and we all overindulged, force-fed like Gascogny geese - a detox for the next week or so seems very appealing right now. We danced to local musicians on two evenings, and were entertained after the lastnight's gala dinner by comedian Alan Shortt of RTE's Bull Island fame, who did some very funny impersonations of various politicians. This year is the INO's 90th Anniversary which is certainly a cause for celebration; from very small beginnings to a union with over 40,000 members is no mean feat. They had a wonderful cake to mark the anniversary (see above photo) and a DVD with the history of the organisation from 1919-2009. Hope I'll be around for the Centenary celebrations - and not pensioned off !