By Paddy Clancy

A SLIVER of hope of a breakthrough in the nurses’ dispute at hospitals throughout the country may depend on personal intervention by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Although he said he will not be intervening, a separate statement from his office that ward walkouts by nurses must not be allowed to happen were seen by some union leaders as signaling his readiness to change his mind.

Despite the glimmer of optimism, there was little confidence of sufficient progress to prevent the first stages of the escalation, one-hour walkouts on Wednesday, April 11, by nurses from three hospitals – St. Vincent’s in Dublin and South Tipperary General Hospital and St. Luke’s Psychiatric Hospital, both in Clonmel.

Further one-hour stoppages, leaving only emergency cover in the wards, were planned for later in the week in other hospitals.

Health Minister Mary Harney admitted she is concerned at the escalation and appealed to all parties not to put patients’ lives at risk.

The stoppages are in addition to a work-to-rule under which nurses have been refusing to perform administrative duties since the start of their industrial action 10 days ago.

The Health Service Executive indicated for the first time in weeks that it was willing to engage with the nurses’ unions in an effort to break the current impasse.

While the unions said they also wanted talks, they also indicated they expected more than simply a conciliatory tone from management to tempt them back to the negotiating table.

As behind-the-scenes jousting continued around attempts to re-open negotiations, there were fears that cancer patients will be among the first to suffer the effects of an escalation.

Some cancelled procedures will involve patients needing bowel surgery, removal of varicose veins or examinations to find out if they have cancer.

Meanwhile, Ann Bourke, mother of two-months-old John-Joe, the baby who became the face of the dispute when a nurse refused to phone for vital test results, said her worst fears will be realized if nurses at Crumlin Children’s Hospital in Dublin step up their industrial action.

She has maintained a vigil at the child’s bedside since he contracted two serious infections that left him weak, underweight and unable to hold down food.

“There is nobody more frightened than me. I have never had a child so seriously ill,” Bourke said.

More than 40,000 nurses are demanding a 10.6% pay increase and a reduction in their working week from 39 to 35 hours.