HSE recruits only 20 workers for long Covid clinics at 10 hospitals

Recruitment data up to the end of July shows Cork University Hospital (CUH) hopes to hire four staff for its Long Covid clinic, but none have been appointed to date. File picture: Dan Linehan

Just 20 staff have been recruited across 10 hospitals to work in long Covid and post-acute Covid clinics, the HSE has said.

The clinics are designed to offer specialized treatment for patients with complex conditions associated with the virus and are to be staffed by a total of 60 healthcare workers. 

Recruitment data up to the end of July shows Cork University Hospital (CUH) hopes to hire four staff for its long Covid clinic, but none have been appointed to date.

This includes an infectious diseases consultant to head up the clinic. Similarly, the CUH post-acute Covid clinic recruitment for five staff is still underway.

University Hospital Limerick (UHL) has hired a respiratory registrar for a post-acute Covid clinic, but is still in the process of recruiting five other staff.

The data was released in response to a parliamentary query from Social Democrats health spokesperson Róisín Shortall and highlighted by Independent TD Denis Naughten.

Mr Naughten said: “In fact, just 20 of the 60 health service staff to be recruited to work with long Covid patients were recruited up to August this year, which will see an underspend of at least €1m in the budget allocation for 2022.” 

Funding set aside for the clinics is linked to recruitment levels. 

He has estimated there could be up to 336,451 adults in Ireland with long Covid, based on data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre indicating that 69% of people in the country had Covid-19, and international data on Long Covid rates. 

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"A research paper which I commissioned over the summer from the Oireachtas Library & Research Service clearly indicates it is not just cardiac and respiratory issues that long Covid patients are experiencing but many are facing neurological issues as well," Mr Naughten warned. 

The Irish Examiner previously reported a self-funded Long Covid clinic at the Mater hospital, Dublin, may close due to lack of State funding.

“It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to force the closure of a clinic treating long Covid when there is going to be such a large underspend in the HSE budget for treating these patients this year,” Mr Naughten said.

“We cannot allow a situation where the very minimal services that are available are withdrawn just so HSE managers can re-allocate the ‘savings’ for their own pet project as patients suffer in silence at home without any support.” 

A HSE spokeswoman said: “Though it is acknowledged that the recruitment process takes time, recruitment has commenced at all sites.” This includes for neurology, respiratory, cardiac and infectious diseases staff.

She said long Covid clinics are open at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Beaumont Hospital in Dublin and at University Hospital Galway.

Post-acute Covid clinics at UHG and Connolly Hospital in Dublin are running.

Tallaght University Hospital and St James’s Hospital have opened combined post-acute and long Covid clinics, she said.