Health minister should come to CUH and talk to doctors about staffing problems, consultant says

His comments come following an interview given by the minister when she appeared to dismiss safety concerns expressed by consultants and the hospital’s chief executive, Jennifer Kearney.

Prof. Fulton said the hospital is “really quite short on staff at the moment”. 

“In fairness really, the minister, rather than sort of taking a crack at our CEO who’s been outstanding since she’s been in position, all she (the minister) simply has to do is get in the car and come to Cork, talk to us and talk to the staff and we’d be able to explain what the problems are.”

He also offered to come to Dublin instead for a meeting.

Prof. Fulton told RTÉ radio that medical costs rise every year, there are more patients and many of them are more complex now than before. He acknowledged the CUH budget has risen but argued it must rise to meet those growing demands.

The staff committee has written to Ms Carroll MacNeill and to the HSE chief executive Anne O’Connor to ask for an independent assessment of staffing. “We are doing our best to manage,” he said. 

“We have concerns about going forward into the winter.” He warned it is “obviously going to get busier”. 

On Thursday morning a count of patients waiting for a bed at CUH showed 30 patients delayed, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said. Another 30 people were without a bed at its sister hospital the Mercy University Hospital in the city.

Separate figures from the HSE showed 14 people on trolleys and 43 on temporary surge beds as pressures remained high at the hospital. Among them were four people who had waited longer than 24 hours by morning.

The HSE Southwest region is under financial restrictions due to over-spends already recorded this year. A spokeswoman said: “HSE South West acknowledges the significant financial and workforce challenges currently facing the region.

“The region is operating within a national framework for workforce and financial management and is actively working to ensure that services are managed within the resources available.” 

Healthcare across Cork and Kerry is under pressure, she said, adding it faces a “very significant and sustained demand for services”. She reassured patients work continues in the hospital and community services to improve patients’ experiences. 

This includes work to “reduce delays, support timely discharge and ensure that patients receive care in the most appropriate setting for their needs”, she said. She added: “Patient safety is the HSE’s overriding priority.” 

Systems are in place, she reassured patients, for the reporting and management of any patient safety issues.

In her interview this week Ms Carroll MacNeill had said how the national patient safety office has not seen increased reports of patient safety concerns from CUH.

The department of health on Thursday said that office has put in place key policies for safety. It said CUH is also compliant with nursing numbers under the safe staffing framework for nurses.

The minister had also pointed to increased funding for CUH in recent years, including additional monies to recruit more staff.