The Health Service Executive (HSE) is not averse to “playing whatever role is appropriate for it” in terms of helping secure accommodation for healthcare workers, its chief executive has told an Oireachtas committee.
Stephen Mulvany said the HSE had provided accommodation for its workers in the “distant past” and that urban-based hospitals, which typically would have had better opportunities to recruit and retain staff, are now experiencing the impact of the housing crisis.
Mr Mulvany was responding to People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny during the Oireachtas Committee on Health on Wednesday, who asked whether the HSE had ever considered providing on-campus accommodation for nursing staff.
“If you’re trying to recruit people from outside the State, they’re going to be looking at obviously the wages and so forth but also accommodation, and accommodation particularly in Dublin is really extremely difficult to get any sort of accommodation,” Mr Kenny said.
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“I know the HSE has said in the past they’re not in the game of building such real estate, properties and so forth, but have you ever looked at a situation where accommodation could be provided on campus in relation to nursing staff whether they’re coming from the State or outside.”
In response, Mr Mulvany there was “no doubt” accommodation was a “growing issue” in terms of recruiting and retaining healthcare staff, in particular younger workers.
“The question of accommodation comes up more and more and now you will hear colleagues talk about the fact that some of the urban-based hospitals, which typically would have had better opportunities to recruit staff and retain staff in the past, are now experiencing negative impacts and that,” he said.
“It’s still the case that provision of accommodation is not within the core competency of the HSE. It’s something we’ve done in the past; we have – not just for nursing staff – provided accommodation in the past, in the distant past.
“So I’ve no doubt as Government and other colleagues consider all of the policy options around retention of essential workers, accommodation is an issue that is starting to be talked about more and more, so the HSE is not averse to playing whatever role is appropriate for it in that context.”
Mr Mulvany said the HSE was continuing to “actively progress” the implementation of regional health areas (RHAs) in line with Sláintecare and the HSE Corporate Plan 2021-24.
The RHAs will enable the alignment and integration of hospital and community healthcare services at a regional level, based on defined populations and their local needs, he said. Mr Mulvany said the RHAs will have budget autonomy and “a large degree” of staffing autonomy.
Robert Watt, secretary general at the Department of Health, said a plan was being prepared to set out the organisation and governance of RHAs and the relative roles of the regions, HSE National and the Department of Health. He said that the plan will set out a critical path for implementation through 2023 and 2024.
Mr Watt added that “while we have not achieved all that we hoped to in terms of waiting lists in 2022, we have seen particular progress in relation to long waiters, which have reduced significantly from their pandemic peaks”.
The number of patients waiting longer than 12 months for an outpatient appointment has decreased by 35 per cent since March 2021, while the number of patients waiting longer than six months for an inpatient or day case procedure has decreased by 35 per cent since September 2020.
In terms of GI scopes, there was a 75 per cent reduction since September 2020 in those waiting for these appointments longer than six months.
