The ballot focused on the ongoing issues of unfilled and delayed filling of vacant and suppressed positions, with over 2,000 nursing and midwifery posts left unfilled in the public health system by the end of 2023.

INMO President Caroline Gourley stated, “Our members have delivered a clear message to the HSE and the Department of Health: nurses and midwives will no longer tolerate the suspension of critical staff recruitment as a short-term cost-saving measure. Directors of nursing and midwifery have lost the ability to recruit essential staff yet remain responsible for ensuring safe services. This cannot continue—patients deserve a health system that is properly staffed, not perpetually in crisis.”

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha added, *“The INMO Executive Council, made up of working nurses and midwives, will now review the outcome of this ballot. Over the next two weeks, we will coordinate with other health sector unions who have also balloted their members to develop a united response.

“Our members are often the first point of contact for patients entering the public health system. They bear the weight of public frustration caused by overcrowding and long waiting lists, both of which are worsened by staffing shortages. Addressing these staffing issues must be a top priority for the next government.”