'We have 300 vacancies in CUH': Staff hold #EndTheFreeze protests at hospitals

At lunchtime #EndTheFreeze protests around the country against the HSE recruitment freeze, staff expressed frustrations at growing lists of vacancies

Eddie Walsh, Assistant General Secretary of Forsa stands with protesting HSE clerical and administrative staff outside Cork University Hospital on Thursday. "There isn’t an area in the hospital that isn’t affected.” Picture: Chani Anderson

Patients in hospitals this winter could struggle with getting phones answered on wards by staff, booking appointments or meeting medical social workers, trade union Forsa has warned.

At lunchtime protests around the country—including Cork University Hospital—against the HSE recruitment freeze, staff expressed frustrations at growing lists of vacancies. 

At CUH on Thursday staff including pharmacists, physiotherapists, ward clerks, receptionists and managers at various grades protested outside the gates, greeted by beeping car horns and shouts of support.

Assistant General Secretary Eddie Walsh said the turn-out reflected anger and burn-out experienced by staff struggling to cover the gaps.

“Within CUH here alone we have over 300 vacancies in Forsa-represented grades,” he said. “So we’re talking about 180 within the clerical-admin stream, and 120 within the health and social care professionals.” 

Among the 180, he said, are staff who book patients for out-patient clinics, and receptionists for the emergency department. They are, he said “the first person somebody would see when they come into the hospital”. 

Among health and social care vacancies, he said are “speech and language therapists, social workers, bio-medical engineers".  "So there isn’t an area in the hospital that isn’t affected.” 

He warned: “Taking 300 posts out of an acute hospital setting is going to have a drastic impact on services.” 

These are posts approved before the freeze, he said. “What we are looking for here is one-in-one-out,” he said. “If somebody retires in the morning, they are not being back-filled, so that number is going to continue to grow.” 

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Ashley Connolly, Head of the Health & Welfare division, also attended in support of the Cork staff.

“Our members are fearful about what the service will look like, into the spring into the summer next year,” she said. “We’re in mid-winter and we know the gaps in the service can only mean a diminished service for people.” 

She warned the pause makes the HSE a less attractive place to work, including for Irish healthcare workers based abroad.

“Why would they come back, when they can’t be guaranteed a permanent job anymore,” she said. “This is the wrong way to deal with budgetary over-runs.” 

Ashley Connolly, National Secretary of Forsa Trade Union with protesting HSE clerical and administrative staff outside Cork University Hospital on Thursday. “We’re in mid-winter and we know the gaps in the service can only mean a diminished service for people.” Picture: Chani Anderson

She queried why cuts are not targeting other areas, including spending on external management consultancy firms or agency staff. 

A startling rise in HSE spending on agency staff from €259m in 2015 to €619m last year was recently reported by the Parliamentary Budget Office.

Ms Connolly warned: “That’s not to say those workers aren’t required but what we have is a fractured system.” 

CUH was contacted for comment. HSE CEO, Bernard Gloster, previously said the pause applies to posts in excess of funded targets for this year.