Health committee to raise Cork University Hospital staffing concerns

The Oireachtas health committee will raise staffing shortages at Cork University Hospital (CUH) with the HSE and Department of Health later this month.

The CUH Consultants Committee wrote to the health committee warning that patient safety has been compromised and asked the committee to intercede with Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. The doctors urged the minister to appoint an independent assessor to examine staffing numbers amid a dispute over the hospital’s hiring budget.

Hospital chief executive Jennifer Kearney has publicly said the site is understaffed relative to demand, while the minister has claimed the hospital is significantly over‑budget on hiring.

On Thursday, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation reported 68 people on trolleys waiting for a bed at CUH. The HSE’s own assessment recorded 54 people on trolleys at CUH and 43 on temporary surge beds, with an additional 40 people on trolleys at Mercy University Hospital.

The consultants’ letter, addressed to the committee and chair Pádraig Rice, asked the committee to seek an explanation of how the minister plans to address the safety concerns and the impact of her public criticism on staff morale.

Committee chair and Social Democrats health spokesperson Pádraig Rice said the committee will meet the HSE and Department of Health in two weeks to discuss staffing, recruitment restrictions, embargos and key vacancies, noting issues such as double‑counting of consultants and locums.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: cottonbro studio / Pexels.