David Cullinane
Question:695. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health his plans to increase staffing in healthcare settings over the lifetime of the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16969/20]
View answerTuesday, 21 July 2020
Questions (695)
Written answers
The Programme for Government commits to finalising the Sláintecare Contract and increasing the number of ‘public-only’ consultants in our hospitals. The number of consultants has increased consistently in recent years and the Government is committed to continuing to increase consultant capacity.
As part of Budget 2020, in line with the continued rollout of the Sláintecare Implementation Plan, funding of €10 million in 2020 and €60 million in 2021 is being invested in the enhancement of Community Services. The additional full year funding will provide for up to 1,000 therapists, nurses, other health professionals in the community and the recruitment of dementia advisers.
This involves working towards the appointment of up to 1,000 additional staff across a range of disciplines and deploying these in teams that will focus in the first instance on managing older people with complex needs/chronic conditions and shifting care away from the acute hospitals.
The Department of Health issued a request to the HSE to provide a business case for the Enhanced Community Care Fund in late 2019 for the recruitment of the additional 1,000 staff, the services to which they would be assigned and the outcomes they will deliver.
An extensive document was submitted by the HSE shortly before the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ireland, setting out a model for a reformed approach to primary and community care. By agreement with HSE and Department of Health colleagues, the detailed response was issued in June 2020 to allow all focus to be appropriately placed on the COVID-19 pandemic emergency response. As we move towards service recovery, it is intended to finalise the Enhanced Community Care business case to ensure that recruitment of staff can be in place before year-end.
The programme for Government also commits to continue to implement the nursing agreement which includes measures to support recruitment and retention of nurses, including the Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix. The Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix in General and Specialist Medical and Surgical Care Settings in Adult Hospitals in Ireland is an evidence-based methodology to determine the nurse staffing and skill mix range required in our hospitals.
The Framework was developed in the Department of Health and piloted in three sites before it was formally launched by my colleague Minister Harris in April 2018. Results from the pilot were positive for both patients and staff, showing evidence of improvements in the quality of care and patient outcomes, and a reduction in length of stay. The Framework also stabilised the workforce, improving staff moral and leading to a reduction in agency spend.
The national rollout of the Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix in General and Specialist Medical and Surgical Care Settings is now the responsibility of the HSE and a National Implementation structure has been agreed. Full national rollout has commenced and is starting in the model 4 hospitals.
For the most recent update we refer the deputy to HSE as they are responsible for the rollout of Phase 1. In relation to Phase 2 (emergency care setting), the pilot testing is ongoing with the first report due by the end of July. Once approved and published national roll out of this phase will begin, stabilising the workforce further. Phase 3 (non-acute care setting) is still in the early stages of development with the evidence review in progress.
Since the health service began managing the current pandemic several recruitment initiatives have taken place to maximise and support the workforce. However, it remains difficult to quantify the public health sector workforce requirements post Covid-19 while the impacts of the crisis on both staffing levels and resources are ongoing.
Although GPs are private contractors and not employed by the HSE, I am also concerned to ensure that the number of GPs will increase, and several efforts have been undertaken to this end. The yearly number of GPs entering training has increased steadily, rising from 120 in 2009 to 208 this year. The target for next year is 230 places. In addition, the 2019 GP Agreement for service modernisation and contractual reform will see the Government increase investment in general practice by approximately 40% (or €210 million) by 2023, increasing fees for participating GPs and improving maternity and paternity leave arrangements, making general practice more sustainable and a more attractive career option for doctors.