Exhaustion and burnout alongside compromised patient care have been reported by members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation in its 2025 member survey. Almost a quarter of nurses and midwives attended a doctor for work-related stress, the survey found, while almost 70 per cent said they “always or often” felt worn out at the end of a working day.
The number nurses and midwives who said they had attended their GP for work-related stress has increased from the percentage reported in last year’s survey, when one fifth told the survey that they had attended their GP.
The survey, which had 2,334 respondents, cited staffing as a major concern for both staff and patient safety. 72 per cent of the survey’s respondents stated their current staffing levels and skill mix did not meet the required clinical and patient demands in their work area, whilst almost 40 per cent said that their work negatively impacted their psychological wellbeing ‘a great deal’ or ‘a lot’.
Among those who stated their intention to leave their work area, 80.92 per cent said that their area’s current staffing levels and skill mix were inappropriate for meeting clinical and patient work demands. 83.4 per cent said they believed their work negatively impacted their psychological wellbeing, while 81.54 per cent believed their work negatively affected their physical health.
Of the total respondents, 69 per cent reported that their work was impacting their physical health. 55 per cent said they were ‘always’ or ‘very often’ physically exhausted, while 39.79 per cent believed that their work negatively impacted their psychological wellbeing ‘a great deal’ or ‘a lot’. 24.12 per cent had attended their GP due to work-related stress.
The INMO’s annual staff survey was released on Wednesday morning, as its 106th annual conference began in Wexford. Members are set to debate motions relating to staffing and patient safety, as well as measures to safeguard and grow the workforce to care for a growing and ageing population.
Emotional exhaustion and burnout was a significant factor in responses, with almost 70 per cent of respondents saying they often or always felt worn out at the end of the working day, and almost half stating they felt exhausted in the morning at the thought of the working day ahead.
Over half of respondents (55.41 per cent) reported that they had experienced aggressive (verbal or threatening) behaviour in the workplace, and one in five stated that they had experienced physical violence in the workplace.
Over 90 per cent of those surveyed expressed concern about compromised patient safety, and almost half (48.76%) of respondents reported they felt pressured to work additional hours or shifts in order to make up the staffing shortfall, highlighting staffing as a major issue.
61.51% of respondents told the IMNO that they had considered leaving their work area in the past month, and workplace stress was given as the primary reason.
Commenting on the findings, INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said:
“Our members have been very clear in this survey that staffing levels are having a detrimental effect on patient care and a severe impact on nurses’ and midwives’ ability to protect their own health and safety.
“This level of stress, exhaustion and physical strain over many years has a very serious effect on our members and should not be tolerated.
“To have one in five workers attending their GP for work related stress would be a scandal in many workplaces and industries, but this is the level of sacrifice that is expected from our members and it is simply not sustainable.”
Mr Ní Sheaghdha said it would be “critical” to see improvements in the coming months relating to both staffing and workforce planning, stating: “This needs to happen not simply to protect these healthcare workers and their patients but to protect the future of the health service.”
Meanwhile, INMO President Caroline Gourley said: “The message from our members couldn’t be clearer: they are stretched to breaking point trying to keep patients safe in an unsafe working environment and their own health and wellbeing are suffering as a result.
“It is not realistic or fair to expect people to keep going into work in these conditions, putting their physical and mental health at risk for their work. The dedication and commitment of nurses and midwives should not be the glue holding the health service together. Our members’ goodwill is not a substitute for effective workforce planning.”