Shortage of staff looms at CUH emergency department

One of the country’s largest hospitals will be forced to cope with an “unprecedented” drop in key emergency department staff from next month because of a chronic manpower crisis.

The claim was made by Prof Stephen Cusack, an emergency department consultant at Cork University Hospital, who said thesituation will arise when the annual junior doctor intake occurs on Jul 7.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, the senior hospital physician said a lack of staff and over-reliance on outside agencies means the annual date consistently becomes a crisis situation for hospitals.