A new recruitment campaign has started to increase the number of consultant doctors working in hospital emergency departments by 50 per cent in advance of a predicted “tough winter” for Covid-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said on Friday that there are currently 110 specialist ED consultants employed by the HSE and he has sanctioned the recruitment of a further 51 or 52 over the coming months.
He said it was part of a winter plan, and a separate Covid-19 plan, he brought to Cabinet this week where funding of an additional €170 million was approved to address the challenges of viral epidemics this winter.
“We know it’s going to be a tough winter for patients and we know we are going to have patients on trolleys. We also know that is going to put a lot of stress on families and our healthcare workers as well,” said Mr Donnelly.
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He said that while that the Government has no plans at present to introduce mandatory mask wearing in new situations, he said the health services will be starting new information campaigns on Covid which he hoped would be radical.
“We probably need something new now. I think all of us begin to tune out from things that we hear all the time.”
He did accept that with 400 Covid patients in hospital at present it would have a knock-on effect.
“Throughout the summer, we have seen record presentations into emergency departments, well in excess of 2019 figures and in excess of what demographics should normally give us, particularly for those who are over 75.
“They are coming in sicker. They are less resilient because a lot of them haven’t been out and about as much over the last over the last two years. So that has created a huge additional burden on the healthcare system.
“We have RSV, Covid surge. We are expecting quite a serious flu surge this winter as well based on what has happened in Australia and other places. And so as well as the permanent capacity. I brought €170 million plan for the winter to Cabinet on Tuesday.”
He said the additional funds will provide for an extra 600 staff, extra ambulance services, awareness campaigns, and out-of-hours and preventive measures.
He said research carried out by the chief nursing officer Rachel Kenna had shown that emergency departments in Ireland were under-resourced compared to other similar countries such as the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Britain.
He said that is why has given approval for the number of ED consultants to be increased by almost half of the 110 that are there at present.
