Ireland's ageing population will need 3,000 more nurses and therapists by 2040, ESRI says

Lead author of the ESRI report, Dr Aoife Brick, said the 'biggest growth requirements' are among staff working with older people. File picture

The HSE will need an additional 3,000 community-based nurses and therapists by the end of the next decade to meet growing demand for care outside of hospitals for the ageing population.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has warned that a “significant" expansion is needed for the community healthcare sector in eight key professions to cater for the increasing number of older people in society. 

It comes just weeks after the HSE imposed a new recruitment freeze covering non-frontline staff, and cuts to spending on agency workers.

The ESRI examined demand in audiology, dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, speech and language therapy as well as public health and community nurses.

Lead author of the ESRI report, Dr Aoife Brick, said: “The main finding is we’re looking at significant growth needed across all the professions.” 

The “biggest growth requirements”, she said, are among staff working with older people, with thousands of additional positions required. “With nursing you’re looking at around 70% increase,” she said.

The ESRI projected that the HSE needs between 2,075 and 2,231 extra public health and community nurses by 2040.

It also predicted: 

• An additional 30 to 34 audiologists will be required by 2040
• A further 70 to 90 dietitians will be needed
• An extra 300 to 383 occupational therapists
• Up to 315 physiotherapists 
• An additional 58 to 66 podiatrists
• A further 117 to 208 speech and language therapists

Dr Brick, senior research officer at the ESRI, pointed to expectations under the national reform programme for the health service, Sláintecare, for more care outside of hospitals.

“Policymakers will need to consider how best to increase workforce supply, alongside measures to manage future service demand, to address these emerging pressures,” she said.

Solutions could include more use of AI for administration work and a broader skills mix within the workforce.

The HSE funded the ESRI review and said it is already working with government on solutions. The HSE's chief people officer Anne Marie Hoey said the regionally-based projections will make it easier to plan for the future.

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"The findings highlight important considerations for workforce investment, planning and training in the years ahead," she said. 

"Regionally based projections will strengthen our ability to plan services and make informed decisions about workforce needs and opportunities."

Minister for health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said: “We have a growing and ageing population and demand for health and social care services is increasing. Increasing capacity, both in terms of workforce and infrastructure, along with productivity measures is key to address Ireland’s long-term demographic challenges."

• Niamh Griffin is health correspondent for the Irish Examiner