West Kerry hospital's peninsula location makes it harder to recruit staff, says department

A 'targeted campaign' is running aimed at nurses and care assistants who have local connections and may wish to return to Dingle

There has been an ongoing campaign focused on the need to make the West Kerry Community Hospital, which opened in 2010, fully operational. Picture: Google Maps

Challenges faced by the HSE in recruiting staff in rural locations are exacerbated in Dingle because it is a peninsula, the Department of Health has told councillors.

But there are hopes that a new "local" approach which sees friends of the peninsula's community hospital trying to recruit nurses and others with local connections may bear fruit.

There has been an ongoing campaign focused on the need to make the West Kerry Community Hospital, which opened in 2010, fully operational.

The 54-bed hospital overlooking the harbour has never operated at full capacity because of staffing issues, with at least 10 beds unopened. Patients from west Kerry are still sent to Kenmare, Caherciveen and Killarney for a bed because of the ongoing shortages.

“The HSE advised that challenges in recruiting staff to some more rural hospital locations are well-documented,” the Department of Health has told councillors in the Castleisland-Corca Dhuibhne MD. 

West Kerry Community Hospital’s location on a peninsula can make recruitment even more challenging and such challenges can be exacerbated by temporary staff shortages due to retirements, resignations, and various other leave including maternity and sick leave.

Multiple recruitment campaigns - local, national and international - have been run with limited success to date, the department said. A number of jobs are currently advertised, the HSE has said.

Along with the national campaign, local representatives and volunteers have mounted “a targeted campaign” aimed at nurses and care assistants who have local connections and may wish to return to the area.

The friends of West Kerry Community Hospital, the registered charity Cairde Ospidéal Pobail Corca Dhuibhne, are also promoting the jobs.

Corca Dhuibhne councillor Robert Brosnan (SF) said the targeted campaign is bearing fruit. “We know of four nurses already who have expressed interest to friends of West Kerry community hospital,” he said.

Placing people at a distance from their own communities goes against the stated aims of Sláintecare for local treatment as much as possible, Cllr Breandán Fitzgerald (FF), said. Having locals looked after in their communities relieves pressure on acute hospitals, he added.

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Housing is an issue but a number of developments, social and private, are in train, and there is a commitment in those developments for housing for locals and for Irish speakers, he also said.

The HSE Southwest has said plans to increase capacity at the hospital are dependent on staffing levels and it is working with all stakeholders.

This article was funded by the Local Democracy Scheme