Psychiatric nurses are beginning industrial action today in response to major understaffing throughout the mental health service.

According to the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), despite meetings with the HSE, the Department of Health and the Workplace Relations Commission, ‘no adequate proposals have come forward from the HSE to address the issues of retention and recruitment of staff in the mental health services'.

"In the absence of adequate proposals to resolve the issues at the heart of this dispute, staff have no option but to proceed with the first phase of industrial action on June 29," commented PNA general secretary designate, Peter Hughes.

As part of this action, nurses will not cooperate with clerical and administrative duties. This will include a refusal to answer phones, respond to text messages, check answering machines or send faxes.

Nurses will also refuse to carry out a number of other tasks such as ordering taxis for patients, sorting out charts at clinics and bringing bloods to the laboratory.

Mr Hughes emphasised that the PNA has been warning ‘for some time' that chronic understaffing is having a detrimental impact on patients, staff and services.

The national executive of the PNA will next meet on July 4 to decide on the next phase of industrial action.