CUH crisis: Nurses back hospital chief executive's concerns over staffing levels

INMO highlights 100 nursing vacancies at CUH and over 80 midwifery vacancies at CUMH

Earlier this week, CUH chief executive Jennifer Kearney wrote to the HSE to highlight her  concerns arising out of 'increasingly bureaucratic processes' and 'a prolonged suppression of recruitment'. Picture: CUH

A light flashes on the switchboard late at night in Cork University Hospital (CUH) then flashes again and again — administrative staff shortages mean a doctor in a smaller hospital with a patient in crisis and injured can be on hold waiting instead of being patched straight through for specialist advice.

It is just one crisis point that senior consultants, and now the CUH chief executive Jennifer Kearney, have written to HSE Southwest about to outline myriad safety concerns.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) reacted quickly to Ms Kearney's letter, highlighting 100 nursing vacancies at CUH and over 80 midwifery vacancies at Cork University Maternity Hospital.

The INMO's assistant director of industrial relations, Liam Conway, said: “We are already seeing the results, with local management now reviewing potential curtailment of services in the community for maternity to support in-patient services.

“Nurses and midwives are going on shift knowing that they will be working short, which is creating a serious risk to patients.” 

The union’s view is that the budget ceiling on staff numbers is based on a population need from almost four years ago.

Many CUH consultants and clinical directors supported Ms Kearney this week. 

Professor Conor Deasy, who heads the emergency department, said: “We are concerned for patient safety across the site.” 

He pointed to a 56.1% increase in patients on trolleys in the emergency department daily compared to last year, saying: “CUH has the greatest bed deficit in the country. There is a national HSE commitment to build 341 beds, more than any other site in the country." 

Some pressures are linked to specialist services CUH provides across Munster and parts of south Leinster.

“The moratorium on recruiting staff to replace retirements, resignations, backfill maternity leave, and meet increased demand means those working at CUH have to absorb this extra work and are dangerously overstretched,” he said.

Labour Senator Laura Harmon has raised concerns before, saying she understands “radiography shortages have restricted CT scanner capacity”. 

She and other local politicians have called for action from health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.

However, the region is already under Tier 3 financial restrictions. This crisis is growing amid warnings from public expenditure minister Jack Chambers that ministers have to find savings to fund new programmes next year. 

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