The Fórsa Education Division Executive met earlier today to review SNA reassignments. Members have been emailed with an official instruction not to co-operate with any HSE reassignments other than those involving remote working.

SNA members should complete the vetting process, please do not wait 30 days as has been suggested by some, if that happens it could be used to undermine the standing of SNAs with the public as some elements will claim SNAs are not helping with the effort against the pandemic.

You can ask TTM to send you a form without the healthcare assistant designation if you prefer. TTM don't have any role in assigning you to a post.

We have explained to members today that the union has previously intervened to prevent the HSE from progressing proposals to assign SNAs into HSE Elderly Care and therefore we understand the anxieties over healthcare assistant assignments.

That is why the non co-operation instruction is to remain in place until such time as any possibility of reassignment into such roles is removed once and for all.

Talks will now take place next week directly with the DES and HSE on the details of how the remote working service will operate and on clarifications as to what can be expected from SNAs. Those talks will not involve discussion of using SNAs as healthcare assistants.

Finally - members can seek further advice from their Branch or can email Fórsa and we will respond to your queries as soon as we can. Sorry but it will not be possible to respond to queries through our twitter pages. Many thanks..