Exhausted health staff need clarity on recruitment and extra beds, says Sinn Féin's Cullinane

Health minister has yet to approve plans for extra staffing and hospital beds this year.

Stephen Donnelly, the health minister, was quizzed by Sinn Féin's David Cullinane on the state of this year's National Service Plan. Stock image

The health minister has been accused of leaving exhausted healthcare workers without clarity as he has yet to approve plans for extra staffing and hospital beds this year.

Stephen Donnelly first received this year's National Service Plan in November, but it has been sent back to the HSE for modification several times and is now being considered by the health minister.

Sinn Féin health spokesperson David Cullinane said it is now "critical" that the plan is published as those working in the healthcare sector need a "clear timeframe" of when extra beds will come on stream and when additional staff will be recruited to help fight the pandemic.

'A tsunami of missed care'

Mr Cullinane said unions have already warned that a tsunami of missed care has built up as patients suffering from non-Covid-19 illnesses are placed on growing waiting lists for treatment.

"We can't expect staff who are exhausted, jaded — who haven't had a day's leave since Covid struck, who are due holidays and aren't able to take them because of the crisis of the hospitals — we cannot expect them to continue on again and face into a tsunami of missed care without additional supports," he said.

We need certainty on plans to recruit staff and increase bed capacity but this cannot be given until the service plan is agreed."

In a parliamentary response to Mr Cullinane, Mr Donnelly confirmed that the HSE 2021 National Service Plan has still not been signed off on.

He said the plan was initially formally submitted by the HSE on November 24 of last year for approval.

I initially responded to the HSE on December 15, 2020 with the requirement to include the COVID vaccination strategy which had been launched since the receipt of the plan."

There was further correspondence between the Minister and the HSE in December as Mr Donnelly asked that " a number of high-level requirements" be included in the plan, before a revised document was submitted on January 15.

"Presently, I am giving consideration to the revised National Service Plan and intend to revert to the HSE shortly," Mr Donnelly said.

Once the plan is approved, it must be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas within 21 days of its approval. The HSE will ensure the service plan is published at the earliest possible time after the plan has been laid before the houses of the Oireachtas."

An extra €3.5bn was pumped into Health as part of Budget 2021 and this is expected to provide a  minimum of 2,600 open and staffed beds in acute and community settings this year as well as around 16,00 additional staff.

Mr Cullinane said: "The funding has been provided in the Budget and the service plan is then the plan that sets out how the money will be spent and it sets out timeframes.

"The service plan should have been published last November — we are now into February, frontline staff are facing a crisis, they are exhausted and at breaking point," he said.