Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 December 2004
163 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of doctors and consultant surgeons currently working in the health services; the extent to which these figures need to be augmented to bring the strength up to international standards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31963/04]
View answerThe number of permanent consultant posts approved by Comhairle na nOspidéal as at November 2004 is 1,912. Of this figure, 360 are consultant surgeons and 1,609 posts are filled in a permanent capacity. There are 270 approved vacant permanent consultant posts. These are in the process of being filled permanently and approximately 200 of these are filled in a temporary capacity pending permanent appointees taking up duty.
The Department of Health and Children has made substantial investment in consultant numbers in recent years. In the past five years the number of consultant posts has increased by 31% to 1,824 posts at 1 January 2004. This continues increases over the past decade — between 1993 and 1 January 2004 consultant posts increased by 56%. These increases include significant investment in consultant staffing in regional hospitals. Since 1993, the number of consultant posts has increased by 82% in the North Eastern Health Board, 71% in the South Eastern Health Board and 68% in the Mid-Western Health Board.
Government policy is to substantially increase the number of consultants throughout the next decade. There are currently 4,038 NCHD training posts, the occupants of which are given the opportunity of proper skills development on the basis that many in this category will become the consultants of tomorrow. A comparison of consultant staffing ratios with those in England and France is set out below.
|
Ireland |
England |
France |
|
|
Consultants/Specialists |
1,824 (January 2004) |
24,085 (September 2003) |
39,651 (January 2003) |
|
Population |
4,043,800 (CSO 2004) |
49,138,831 (2001 Census) |
61,100,000 (2002) |
|
Consultants/Specialists |
No. of post per 1,000 pop |
No. of post per 1,000 pop |
No. of post per 1,000 pop |
|
Total |
1,824 0.45 |
24,085 0.49 |
39,651 0.65 |
According to the Irish College of General Practitioners there are approximately 2,600 GPs working in Ireland. According to the GMS payments board annual report of 2003, 2,181 of these hold a GMS or other public contract. My Department has been in consultation with the Irish College of General Practitioners and the health boards on the subject of addressing future manpower needs in general practice. In this regard, it was agreed that the number of trainees should increase by a total of 66 in order to conform with the recommendations of the Irish College of General Practitioners. This will be achieved on a phased basis over a three year period. This Department does not hold comparable international figures for GPs.
164 Mr. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the number of nurses required to provide an adequate health service in view of internationally established norms; the number of extra recruitments required; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31964/04]
View answerThere is a wide variation in the numbers of nurses employed in the health services of developed countries. Figures on a consistent basis are not readily available for cross-country comparisions. Research by the OECD published in OECD Health Data 2004, first edition, suggests that Ireland has one of the higher ratios, although I stress that countries profile their data in different ways.
The Irish health care system has traditionally been based on a large number of nurses. Other European countries tend to have systems with a greater skill mix and grade mix involved in the delivery of health care services. For this reason, their ratios of nurses to patients are lower. The Irish health service is also moving in this direction and in the coming years a higher proportion of support workers, including health care assistants, will be involved in the delivery of nursing care, freeing up nurses and midwives to concentrate more of their time on higher level duties and the development of new or expanded services.
Nurse recruitment is a priority for the Government. The HSEA recently reported that in the year ending 30 September 2004 an additional 561 nurses were employed in the health service. Since 1997 more than 6,600 additional nurses have been recruited.
