THE University of Limerick Hospitals Group has been unable to fill job vacancies for 24 consultants and 70 nurses, it has been claimed this week.
As as its flagship facility at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) again topped the national league for overcrowding, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said that a lack of nurses is at the heart of the problem.
Ireland’s emergency departments are at least 216 nurses short of what is needed to care for patients, according to HSE figures obtained by the INMO at the Workplace Relations Commission this week.
The HSE confirmed that there are 159 unfilled vacancies and an additional 57 nurses are needed to care for patients admitted from emergency departments for whom there are no available beds.
70 of these unfilled nursing posts are in the University of Limerick Hospitals Group which comprises of UHL, St John’s, the Regional Maternity and Croom orthopaedic hospitals in Limerick as well as district hospitals in Ennis and Nenagh
Meanwhile, Limerick Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan has raised serious concerns about figures released by the HSE which show there are 349 vacant consultant posts in hospitals across the whole State including 24 at UHL.
“The figures released in response to a Parliamentary Question show that in some areas and hospitals, the vacancy rates are beyond worrying,” he said.
“There are 24 vacant consultant posts at the University of Limerick Hospital Group, mainly in Dooradoyle, and some of them in extremely important specialities such as Emergency Medicine.
“The HSE has tried every way to get around this problem, including employing doctors who are not on the specialist register as consultants and employing locum/agency consultants; but papering over the cracks and short-term solutions are not working”.
In response to a query from the Limerick Post, a HSE spokeswoman said: “Each year, staffing requirements form part of the estimates process at UL Hospitals Group and resources allocated are based on the funding provided.
“Our 2018 Operational Plan sets out the type and volume of health care services to be provided throughout the year, including staffing, having regard for the available funding.
“Since 2016, UL Hospitals Group has employed an additional 15 consultants and we are actively recruiting for consultants to fill open posts. Three consultants are due to start with the group over the coming weeks with 11 posts at various stages of the recruitment process and other posts going through the approval process”.
Meanwhile, the INMO says that the figures show that the worst July overcrowding since they started their recording process and University Hospital Limerick topped the table, with 897 patients waiting for beds after being admitted through the emergency department.
The union says that “low pay and bad working conditions make it near-impossible to recruit and retain sufficient nurses in emergency departments”.
In a separate statement, a hospital spokeswoman said: “The emergency department at UHL is one of the busiest in the country and the numbers presenting continues to increase year on year.
“Attendance numbers in 2018 have increased by 8.4 per cent compared to 2017. This represents an additional 3,148 patients who have attended the emergency department so far this year compared to the same period in 2017.
“Of those presenting, the numbers requiring admission include many frail elderly patients with complex care needs.
“This has added additional pressure for beds across all our sites. We regret that any of our patients have to face long waits in our emergency department during busy periods and any distress or inconvenience this causes to patients and their loved ones”.
“While patients still face delays in the new emergency department, it provides for a much-improved patient experience compared to the old department and has improved the privacy, safety and dignity for many of our patients.
“Additional nursing resources have been provided to ensure patients receive the appropriate care while in the emergency department,” the spokeswoman concluded.
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