Staff cuts mean services in Waterford hospital are suffering

UNDER-STAFFING to the tune of up to 60 nurses has “severely curtailed” activities at one of the country’s busiest hospitals, as a surge in emergency admissions and the ongoing HSE moratorium hits waiting lists and services.

Elective surgery is down to less than half of normal levels at Waterford Regional Hospital (WRH) in recent weeks, while up to 30 inpatient beds remain closed as management do not have the nurses to staff them.

Meanwhile, surgeons can’t keep all eight operating theatres in the hospital at optimum activity levels because of under-staffing. The increase in demand in emergency services means staff are having to use beds which would normally be reserved for elective procedures and, as a result, patients waiting for the likes of eye surgery, varicose vein surgery, and other relatively minor, non-urgent activities are being pushed back.