Cork TD Mick Barry says Taoiseach ‘skirted’ his Dáil question on HSE recruitment freeze

The PBP-Solidarity TD for Cork North Central, Mick Barry, has accused the Taoiseach of skirting his question in the Dáil this week relating to the ongoing HSE recruitment freeze.

Speaking in the Dáil on Tuesday, Mr Barry referred to comments made to The Echo by the clinical director of emergency and acute care at Cork University Hospital (CUH), Professor Conor Deasy, calling for the immediate lifting of the cost-saving embargo on staff recruitment.

Mr Barry also raised concerns about the number of people on trolleys at the hospital this week.

Trolleys

There were 71 patients on trolleys at the hospital yesterday, 55 of whom were in the hospital’s emergency department, and 16 of whom were on wards elsewhere in the hospital.

“Already this year, the numbers presenting to the adult emergency department is up on last year by a third,” said Mr Barry.

“[Tuesday] morning, the hospital’s clinical director of emergency and acute care, Prof Conor Deasy, appealed to the Government to lift the staff embargo.

“Taoiseach, what do you have to say about this situation? Are you going to stick with your recruitment freeze, despite all of the evidence that last year was a disaster in the emergency departments and that demand has increased again this year?

“If you won’t pay heed to the people on the trolleys, will you at least pay heed to the words of Prof Deasy?”

In response to Mr Barry, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the provision has been made for the HSE to increase its staff.

“I want to inform the House that provision has been made for the HSE to increase its staff this year,” he said.

“They can hire an additional 2,000 staff.

“And we have seen a recruitment surge since 2020.

“There are now 8,000 more nurses and midwives than we had in 2020, 3,000 more doctors and dentists, and the HSE can hire an additional 2,000 staff — but it needs to be done in a proper way.”

Serious

Speaking to The Echo following the exchange in the Dáil, Mr Barry said: “The Taoiseach skirted the issue.

“He knows full well that the recruitment freeze extends to nearly all staff and he knows that that’s what Prof Deasy was referring to. The issue is too serious for the leader of the country to be playing games with it.”

Earlier this week, Prof Deasy — who is also the president of the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine — told The Echo: “The present cost-saving embargo on staff recruitment should be lifted immediately. There needs to be a rapid expansion in bed numbers, including single rooms to reduce cross-infection of patients, intensive care, rehabilitation, and community beds.”

He also said that staff working in the emergency department at the hospital “have never seen it as intensely busy and challenging”.

It comes as CUH recorded the highest number of patients on trolleys in January of this year, when compared to previous years.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, 1,632 patients were waiting on trolleys during January this year.

Nationally, more than 12,132 patients — including 278 children — went without a hospital bed during January.

Overcrowded

End-of-year figures from the INMO showed that CUH was the second-most overcrowded in the country during 2023.

A spokesperson for the INMO said it is clear that capacity in the health system is not sufficient, and said more beds and more patient-facing staff are needed.

“The HSE must agree a realistic workforce plan, which provides for sufficient nurses and midwives to be employed, to provide safe care and plan for more beds to open,” the spokesperson added.