More nurses and midwives needed to staff extra beds in Cork hospitals, INMO warns

The Irish Nurses’ and Midwives’ Organisation (INMO) has said the addition of 472 acute hospital beds in Cork must include the hiring of more staff.

Yesterday, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe announced a new plan to deliver 4,367 acute hospital in-patient beds nationally by 2031.

Nearly 500 of these are in Cork, including 342 at the Cork University Hospital (CUH), 82 at the Mercy University Hospital, and 24 each at Mallow and Bantry General Hospitals.

Welcome

Tánaiste Micheál Martin told The Echo: “I welcome the investment, which is the largest in bed capacity for quite some time.

“I think it will benefit patients hugely, making for more timely treatment at all stages, and it adds to investments in primary care and enhanced community care in Cork in recent years, so it’s very good news.”

Between 2025 and 2028, some 24 beds are planned for Mallow, 82 for the Mercy University Hospital, and 81 for CUH.

From 2029-2031, a further 261 beds are planned for CUH and 24 for Bantry.

The news comes as high numbers of people are currently without a bed in Cork hospitals. According to the INMO, there were 81 people on trolleys on Wednesday, May 29, including 60 in CUH.

CUH told The Echo earlier this month that its emergency department is experiencing a 20% increase in demand compared to this time last year, saying it had “a longstanding challenge with acute inpatient bed capacity, which has resulted in a large number of patients having to endure lengthy waiting times”.

Game-changer

Mr Donnelly said he expects funding to be provided under the next National Development Plan to deliver the beds, saying the plan “will result in the equivalent bed capacity of six large hospitals opening and will be a game-changer for patients and healthcare workers”.

The minister of state at the Department of Health, Cork TD Colm Burke, told The Echo: “Today’s announcement is very positive news for Cork.

“With an increasing population in Cork, it is vital that we deliver more beds to cater for greater patient needs. This, combined with the Government’s commitment to providing an elective hospital in Sarsfield Court in Glanmire, will lead to better outcomes for patients.”

However, the INMO said that though it welcomes the announcement, “delivery is entirely contingent on correct and safe staffing levels”.

Staffing

INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “For every acute medical/surgical bed, it requires a minimum of one additional nurse per bed and higher numbers for high dependency and complex needs.”

Ms Ní Sheaghdha explained that in order to meet the staff increase required, undergraduate nursing and midwifery places must be increased, retention measures to ensure nurses and midwives stay in the system must be introduced, and the HSE recruitment embargo must be lifted.

“There is little point in announcing additional beds without a workforce plan in place,” she concluded, explaining that the HSE and Department of Health have yet to publish the funded workforce plan for 2024. “If this is the methodology that will continue for workforce planning, it is hard to have confidence in the HSE’s ability to deliver these additional beds.”