The HSE’s recruitment embargo must be immediately lifted says nurses union
Yesterday Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe announced a plan which they say will deliver 4,367 acute hospital in-patient beds by 2031, 96 of them at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, between now and 2028.
Nowhere in yesterday’s announcement was the cost of this ambitious plan mentioned and, more importantly, there was no indication as to where the staff to operate the new beds would come from, especially as the HSE is still operating a recruitment embargo which the INMO has been camaigning against for several years.
Deputy Fergus O’Dowd welcomed the announcement saying: “With an ageing and growing population, it is critical that our health service can cater for the needs of families and individuals.”
“The fact people are living longer and healthier lives is a positive reflection of our health service, but we need to plan and prepare as we require more healthcare and the need to keep up with medical advancements.”
The General Secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives, Phil Ní Sheaghdha, also welcomed the announcement but she pointed out that the delivery of beds is entirely contingent on correct and safe staffing levels.
“For every acute medical/surgical bed it requires a minimum of one additional nurse per bed and higher numbers for high dependency and complex needs and seven additional nurses per bed for intensive care unit beds.
“To realistically achieve this increase we must significantly increase undergraduate nursing and midwifery places and introduce bespoke retention measures to ensure nurses and midwives stay in the system.
“…it has never been more obvious that the HSE’s recruitment embargo must be immediately lifted for nursing and midwifery grades.
“There is little point in announcing additional beds without a workforce plan in place. The HSE and Department of Health have yet to publish the funded workforce plan for 2024 and we are now at the end of the fifth month of this year.
“If this is the methodology that will continue for workforce planning it is hard to have confidence in the HSE’s ability to deliver these additional beds.”
